Re: [Ngspice-users] Questions on Parallelizing NGSPICE

[Dan M. <mcm...@al...>]

Stuart Brorson wrote:
> Hi --
> 
> On Tue, 5 Dec 2006, praneet wrote:
> 
> 
>>Hello Everyone,
>>
>>We at Sun Microsystems just got started with NGSPICE.
> 
> 
> That's cool!
> 
> 
>> 1. I downloaded and used ng-spice-rework-17.tar.gz. Can someone
>>    please confirm if this is the latest code for the app.
> 
> 
> That's right.  rework-17 is the latest release.

although there is some additional code in cvs which has not found its 
way into a release yet.

> 
> 
>> 2. As Sun Grid runs on Solaris 10 X86, I tried compiling the code on
>>    x86 and faced problems with a status variable on line number  176
>>    of src/frontend/aspice.c. I'd to insert a dummy statement there.
>>    Is it a known issue? Is the commenting out going to materially
>>    impact the running of application? I am pasting the code here:      :-(
>>                                                                                                              171 
>>#if defined(__NetBSD__) || defined(SOLARIS)
>>       172      pid_t status;
>>       173  #elif defined(__FreeBSD__) || defined(__APPLE__)
>>       174      int status;
>>       175  #else
>>       176   /*    union wait status; */ */*THIS CREATES PROBLEMS,
>>    COMPILER SAYS STORAGE ALLOCATION FOR WAIT CANT BE DETERMINED, I
>>    COMMENTED THIS OUT AND PASTED THE ONE BELOW */
>>    *   177   int status;  /* Anyways, we are running solaris!!! */
>>       178
>>       179  #endif
> 

> I imagine you are compiling with a Sun compiler (as opposed to gcc)?
> If so, it's likely that little issues lurk in the code since I am not
> aware of many people working on ngspice using a Sun compiler.

This should have been fixed in cvs already.


> If you aren't allergic to the GPL, you could take a look at gnucap.
> It's a different analog simulator which reads SPICE netlists.
> The code is more modern and cleaner (ngspice is a complicated mess).
> It also allows for event-driven simulation as well time-driven.  OTOH,
> it's missing a few models (JFETs in particular).

I'll just note that Al has been making good progress lately with adding 
verilog-ams capability for adding models.  I'd expect that adding a jfet 
would be fairly easy.

> Also make sure you get the ADMS stuff compiled in, since it adds
> modern Verilog-AMS functionality.  This is the wave of the future, so
> getting it into ngspice will attract a lot of interest.

You'll probably want the latest from cvs (or subversion) there.  There 
have been some fixes just recently that gives you a chance at getting it 
to work right with non-gcc.

I'm curious.  So you get ngspice working in some fashion with SGE (not 
quite sure what that means, my use of SGE has just been for a queue 
system and in this context just making the program work is all thats 
needed.  Nothing special for SGE), then what?  Will you be able to 
contribute back any code changes you make?  Will others who may be 
running ngspice and SGE on a non-solaris system be able to take 
advantage of it?  I'm just curious what the goals are here.

-Dan