News and New Products

Product provides online design support

By Gabe Moretti -- EDN, 7/10/2003

Mentor Graphics’ new SupportNet KnowledgeBase service gives the company’s contract customers free online access to up-to-date information on common design problems. Customers access KnowledgeBase through Mentor’s SupportNet Web site with a password login. The system includes advanced searching capabilities, such as natural-language search, so a user simply types in a question. The system then displays the related TechNotes topics, sorted by relevancy. It allows users to refine their criteria to search further within the results for more specific information. In addition to question-based search, users can find information by selecting from a list of symptoms and product names.

As they find the answers to their questions, users can print, e-mail, or bookmark the appropriate TechNotes. If the customer finds no appropriate solution, he can open a Service Request, prepopulated with the question. To help customers identify the most relevant information, each TechNote has symptom, solution, and environment sections. The TechNotes also have patch, release, defect, solution, enhancement, and business categories. The system holds more than 10,000 TechNotes, and Mentor adds an average of 600 TechNotes monthly.

Mentor Graphics, 1-503-685-8000, www.mentor.com.