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A Lightweight Framework for the Dynamic Creation and Configuration of Virtual Platforms in SystemC

Published:13 October 2016Publication History
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Abstract

Virtual prototypes leverage SystemC/TLM for simulating programmable platforms comprising hundreds of modules. Their efficient creation and configuration is vital for acceptable turnaround times, for example, during performance exploration or software development. Therefore, our lightweight framework provides a factory that creates designs from abstract descriptions of module instances, properties, and connections. Modules mark properties as creation or runtime parameters. The resulting generic design descriptions are usable by non-experts and enable front-ends. The infrastructure is a small C++ library with only 1,350 lines of code that can be combined with existing SystemC/TLM models and simulation kernels. An industrial case study of a complex multiprocessor SoC shows a distinct productivity gain.

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                • Published in

                  cover image ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems
                  ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems  Volume 16, Issue 1
                  Special Issue on VIPES, Special Issue on ICESS2015 and Regular Papers
                  February 2017
                  602 pages
                  ISSN:1539-9087
                  EISSN:1558-3465
                  DOI:10.1145/3008024
                  Issue’s Table of Contents

                  Copyright © 2016 ACM

                  Publisher

                  Association for Computing Machinery

                  New York, NY, United States

                  Publication History

                  • Published: 13 October 2016
                  • Accepted: 1 August 2016
                  • Revised: 1 July 2016
                  • Received: 1 October 2015
                  Published in tecs Volume 16, Issue 1

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