SAN FRANCISCO — A Unix/Windows NT interoperability task force, formed by Synopsys Inc. earlier this year, used this week's 35th Design Automation Conference to detail the work being implemented by each company in the group.

The mission of the task force is to facilitate the move to a mixed Unix/Windows NT environments for Synopsys customers. Each company participating in the task force will make available "white papers" that describe aspects of allowing a more heterogeneous environment among Unix and NT computing farms.

In addition to Synopsys, the task force includes Compaq Computer Corp., Digital Equipment Corp. (which joined before its purchase by Compaq), Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Siemens-Nixdorf. In February, Synopsys decided to offer all of its EDA tools on the NT platform, which was seen as a steep task, since so much EDA software targets the Unix platform.

The white papers address diverse topics. Doug Wood of Cabletron, for example, will specify the procedures to all tools from both NT and Unix to the same set of design rules. (Cabletron owns Digital's networking division, and Compaq owns Digital Equipment).

HP's white paper, on the other hand, will use the case of a real million-gate ASIC design to work out procedures for establishing the proper links between 100 TX-based Unix workstations and switched 10 bT-based PCs.

Microsoft's group marketing manager for engineering and manufacturing, Bruce Irish, will detail the procedures for remote management of Unix-based applications from a Windows workstation.

One task force generally disputes the notion that NT is less robust than Unix in the EDA design environment due to a nascent infrastructure and weaker support than exists for Unix. But the push from the chief executives and information officers of large companies to standardize on software across a corporation's computers is pushing NT into both the front office — where Microsoft's software is already king — and into the design engineering departments.

Descriptions of interoperability deliverables, some of which will become available by the fall, will be included in the white papers, as will scripting examples, utilities, presentations and the experiences of beta customers.