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XicII  is a version of the Xic graphical editor restricted in functionality to physical layout editing. This provides a low-cost alternative for users that do not require the full functionality of Xic. In particular, XicII is a full-featured layout editor for less than the cost of some GDSII viewing programs.

In order to streamline support and maintenance, the documentation tree, i.e., the manual, help database, and release notes, is shared between the two programs. This of course is a slight disadvantage to XicII users, as the documentation contains descriptions of disabled features, which may lead to confusion. However, this greatly simplifies maintaining the documentation which translates into lower cost to the customer, and also provides information to XicII users about the potential functionality available by upgrading to Xic.

Since the Xic and XicII programs share a common source code base, enhancements to Xic physical mode features will also apply to XicII.

This document will describe the differences between XicII and Xic. Features not explicitly discussed below are identical in both programs.

1. Licensing

   The XicII program does not use a separate license server daemon. The validation logic is built into the program. A license file is still required, of course. This greatly simplifies installation of XicII, however it removes some of the flexibility provided by the client/server arrangement in terms of licensing multiple machines in a workgroup. The standard configuration for XicII is a stand-alone application dedicated to a single host, though other schemes may be available (contact Whiteley Research for more information).

   The license file should be found in the startup directory, or elsewhere in the library search path. The conventional location is in /usr/local/lib/xictools/xicii/startup. It will also be found in /usr/local/lib/xictools/license.

2. Technology File

   The technology file used by Xic and XicII has exactly the same format, and the example technology files supplied with the two programs are identical. Parts of the technology file that relate to features that are not available in XicII are benignly ignored.

3. Symbol Files

   Native symbol files, and the other file formats, are completely compatible between the two programs. Information in these files that is not applicable to XicII, such as electrical data, will be ignored, but returned to the file untouched when the file is saved in XicII.

4. No Design Rule Checking

   XicII does not have DRC support, consequently the material in the manual and elsewhere describing DRC is superfluous. There is no DRC Menu in XicII. There was extensive internal debate as to whether to include DRC in XicII. The final decision was to reduce cost as much as possible, assuming that many potential XicII users would not need the DRC capability. It is possible that DRC will be enabled as an add-on in future XicII versions. If you have a strong opinion' on this, please let us know.

5. No Electrical Mode

   XicII is a physical layout tool only. There is no schematic entry, and no SPICE capability. The material in the documentation pertaining to electrical mode should be ignored. There is no Electrical or Physical button in the View Menu.

6. No Extraction

   XicII has no extraction capability and no Extract Menu. The material in the documentation pertaining to extraction and LVS should be ignored.

7. No User Menu

   The scripting capability relating to user scripts is not present in XicII, however the script interpreter is enabled. This means that template cells and executable labels, which may be present in designs done with Xic, will behave properly in XicII. These constructs can be developed with XicII, but there is little support, in particular no debugger. The information in the documentation about scripts can be ignored by XicII users, unless one wishes to define template cells or executable labels, or enter script functions from the prompt line. In this case, the material on script syntax and built-in functions remains as the reference.

8. No Batch or Server Modes

   The background processing capability is not available in XicII.

9. '!' Commands

   The '!' commands in XicII are identical to those in Xic, however '!' commands in XicII which relate to unavailable features will silently do nothing.