Synchronicity Enhances the Performance and Scalability of Publisher Suite for Design Reuse and IP Distribution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MARLBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2002

Publisher Suite's IP Gear Catalog and Helpdesk

Upgraded to a High-Performance Three-Tier Architecture

Running on Oracle or PostgreSQL

Synchronicity, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of the Synchronicity Publisher Suite(TM) version 2.0. The new product has major architectural enhancements to enable the dramatic improvements in performance and scalability necessary for very large, enterprise wide deployments. Publisher Suite bundles the IP Gear(TM) Catalog and IP Gear Helpdesk and is the most widely deployed solution for design reuse and intellectual property (IP) management and distribution in the electronics industry.

Publisher Suite has been ported to Oracle 9i, the dominant database for enterprise and large web server applications. Many corporations have standardized on Oracle and this change ensures the compatibility of the Publisher Suite with their other systems. For customers seeking an alternative that still delivers strong performance, the Publisher Suite can now also run on PostgreSQL, the most advanced and widely used open source database.

Significant performance and scalability improvements arise from the database upgrade but additionally from changing to a three-tier architecture that separates the application layer from the database layer (the third tier is the web browser client). With Oracle, this allows each tier to run on distinct servers, in parallel, for large-scale deployments serving many users.

Large semiconductor companies typically host reusable designs across several servers and users may register those designs with the Publisher Suite 2.0 to allow centralized searching. Advanced centralized security administration of IP in distributed servers is enabled through the use of private/public key security tokens.

The Publisher Suite has also been enhanced for ongoing compatibility in several ways. Third party reporting and analysis tools, such as Crystal Reports, are now supported through read-only SQL access to the server's data. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) can be used to retrieve XML formatted data streams for custom requests, enhancing the ability to interface with other systems. Finally, the most recent Apache web server core has been incorporated for its stability and security improvements.

For design organizations who take delivery of third-party IP, from a foundry, EDA tool vendor, FPGA supplier or star-IP developer, but who are not yet ready for their own full blown in-house design reuse system, Synchronicity offers the Consumer Suite. The Vault-to-Vault(TM) server synchronization technology has also been upgraded in this release to better connect Publisher Suites to Consumer Suites. It also takes advantage of XML for maximum data compatibility and portability between servers.

"The semiconductor industry has realized that the only way to achieve the design productivity demanded by next generation developments is with massive reuse of existing designs, both internal and from 3rd parties," said Brad Hafer, vice president of marketing and business development, for Synchronicity. "That's why the industry is rapidly adopting Publisher Suite as the best-in-class solution to connect design chains and increase competitive advantage."

Pricing and Availability

Publisher Suite v2.0, bundling the IP Gear Catalog and Helpdesk, is available now with solutions that span from workgroups to multi-national organizations for $150,000 to $750,000. Existing IP Gear customers on active maintenance can receive the upgrade for free.

About Synchronicity

Synchronicity enables IC, embedded software and system developers to get from concept to product to revenue more quickly. Their Developer and Publisher Suites provide value by tracking project status, capturing design intent, managing engineering data and coordinating IP reuse, distribution and support. Over 120 development organizations, including 13 of the top 15 semiconductor companies, use Synchronicity software to connect and manage their design chain; boosting collaboration within project teams, across the enterprise and between businesses. Synchronicity is headquartered in Marlboro, Mass., and has offices worldwide. For more information visit www.synchronicity.com

Note to Editors: Synchronicity and the Synchronicity Logo are registered trademarks and Synchronicity Publisher Suite, Synchronicity Consumer Suite, IP Gear and Vault-to-Vault are trademarks of Synchronicity Software Inc. of Marlboro, Mass.

All other trademarks are acknowledged.