/[gxemul]/trunk/README
This is repository of my old source code which isn't updated any more. Go to git.rot13.org for current projects!
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Revision 30 - (hide annotations)
Mon Oct 8 16:20:40 2007 UTC (16 years, 6 months ago) by dpavlin
File size: 3281 byte(s) 
++ trunk/HISTORY	(local)
$Id: HISTORY,v 1.1325 2006/08/15 15:38:37 debug Exp $
20060723	More Transputer instructions (pfix, nfix, opr, mint, ldl, ldlp,
		eqc, rev, ajw, stl, stlf, sthf, sub, ldnl, ldnlp, ldpi, move,
		wcnt, add, bcnt).
		Adding more SPARC instructions (andcc, addcc, bl, rdpr).
		Progress on the igsfb framebuffer used by NetBSD/netwinder.
		Enabling 8-bit fills in dev_fb.
		NetBSD/netwinder 3.0.1 can now run from a disk image :-)
20060724	Cleanup/performance fix for 64-bit virtual translation table
		updates (by removing the "timestamp" stuff). A full NetBSD/pmax
		3.0.1 install for R4400 has dropped from 667 seconds to 584 :)
		Fixing the igsfb "almost vga" color (it is 24-bit, not 18-bit).
		Adding some MIPS instruction combinations (3*lw, and 3*addu).
		The 8048 keyboard now turns off interrupt enable between the
		KBR_ACK and the KBR_RSTDONE, to work better with Linux 2.6.
		Not causing PPC DEC interrupts if PPC_NO_DEC is set for a
		specific CPU; NetBSD/bebox gets slightly further than before.
		Adding some more SPARC instructions: branches, udiv.
20060725	Refreshing dev_pckbc.c a little.
		Cleanups for the SH emulation mode, and adding the first
		"compact" (16-bit) instructions: various simple movs, nop,
		shll, stc, or, ldc.
20060726	Adding dummy "pcn" (AMD PCnet NIC) PCI glue.
20060727	Various cleanups; removing stuff from cpu.h, such as
		running_translated (not really meaningful anymore), and
		page flags (breaking into the debugger clears all translations
		anyway).
		Minor MIPS instruction combination updates.
20060807	Expanding the 3*sw and 3*lw MIPS instruction combinations to
		work with 2* and 4* too, resulting in a minor performance gain.
		Implementing a usleep hack for the RM52xx/MIPS32/MIPS64 "wait"
		instruction (when emulating 1 cpu).
20060808	Experimenting with some more MIPS instruction combinations.
		Implementing support for showing a (hardcoded 12x22) text
		cursor in igsfb.
20060809	Simplifying the NetBSD/evbmips (Malta) install instructions
		somewhat (by using a NetBSD/pmax ramdisk install kernel).
20060812	Experimenting more with the MIPS 'wait' instruction.
		PCI configuration register writes can now be handled, which
		allow PCI IDE controllers to work with NetBSD/Malta 3.0.1 and
		NetBSD/cobalt 3.0.1. (Previously only NetBSD 2.1 worked.)
20060813	Updating dev_gt.c based on numbers from Alec Voropay, to enable
		Linux 2.6 to use PCI on Malta.
		Continuing on Algor interrupt stuff.
20060814	Adding support for routing ISA interrupts to two different
		interrupts, making it possible to run NetBSD/algor :-)
20060814-15	Testing for the release.

==============  RELEASE 0.4.2  ==============
1 dpavlin 30 Gavare's eXperimental Emulator -- GXemul 0.4.2
2 dpavlin 28 ==================================================
3 dpavlin 2
4 dpavlin 22 Copyright (C) 2003-2006 Anders Gavare.
5 dpavlin 2
6    
7 dpavlin 24 Overview -- What is GXemul?
8     -----------------------------
9 dpavlin 2
10 dpavlin 14 GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several
11     emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding
12 dpavlin 12 hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating
13     systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.
14 dpavlin 2
15 dpavlin 24 Processors (ARM, MIPS, PowerPC) are emulated using a kind of dynamic
16     translation system. Performance is somewhere between traditional
17     interpretation and recompilation into native code. However, the dynamic
18     translation system used in GXemul does not (currently) generate native
19     code, and thus does not require platform-specific back-ends. In plain
20     English, this means that the dyntrans system works on any host platform.
21 dpavlin 2
22 dpavlin 24 Possible uses of the emulator include:
23 dpavlin 12
24 dpavlin 24 o) educational purposes, e.g. to learn how to write code for MIPS
25 dpavlin 20
26 dpavlin 24 o) hobby operating system development; the emulator can be used as a
27     complement to testing your code on real hardware
28    
29     o) running guest operating systems in a "sandboxed" environment
30    
31     o) compiling your source code inside a guest operating system which you
32     otherwise would not have access to (e.g. various exotic ports of
33     NetBSD), to make sure that your source code is portable to those
34     platforms
35    
36     o) simulating (ethernet) networks of computers running various
37     operating systems, to study their interaction with each other
38    
39     o) debugging code in general
40    
41     Use your imagination :-)
42    
43    
44     GXemul's limitations
45     --------------------
46    
47     o) GXemul is not (in general) a cycle-accurate simulator, because it does
48     not simulate things smaller than an instruction. Pipe-line stalls,
49     instruction latency effects etc. are more or less completely ignored.
50    
51     o) Hardware devices have been implemented in an ad-hoc and as-needed
52     manner, usually only enough to fool certain guest operating systems
53     (e.g. NetBSD) that the hardware devices exist and function well
54     enough for those guest operating systems to use them.
55    
56     A consequence of this is that a machine mode may be implemented well
57     enough to run NetBSD for that machine mode, but other guest operating
58     systems may not run at all, or behave strangely.
59    
60    
61 dpavlin 2 Quick start
62     -----------
63    
64 dpavlin 4 To compile, type './configure' and then 'make'. This should work on most
65 dpavlin 28 Unix-like systems. If it does not, then please mail me a bug report.
66 dpavlin 2
67 dpavlin 24 You might want to experiment with various CC and CFLAGS environment
68     variable settings, to get optimum performance.
69    
70 dpavlin 10 If you are impatient, and want to try out running a guest operating system
71 dpavlin 22 inside GXemul, read this: doc/guestoses.html#netbsdcatsinstall
72 dpavlin 2
73 dpavlin 10 If you want to use GXemul for experimenting with code of your own,
74     then I suggest you compile a Hello World program according to the tips
75     listed here: doc/experiments.html#hello
76 dpavlin 2
77 dpavlin 10 Please read the rest of the documentation in the doc/ sub-directory for
78     more detailed information on how to use the emulator.
79    
80    
81 dpavlin 2 Feedback
82     --------
83    
84     If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me
85     comments or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.
86    
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