/[gxemul]/trunk/README
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revision 24 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:19:56 2007 UTC revision 44 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:22:56 2007 UTC
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 Gavare's eXperimental Emulator   --   GXemul 0.4.0  
 ==================================================  
1    
 Copyright (C) 2003-2006  Anders Gavare.  
2    
3              --------------------------------------------------------
4                Gavare's eXperimental Emulator   --   GXemul 0.4.6.1
5              --------------------------------------------------------
6    
 Overview  --  What is GXemul?  
 -----------------------------  
7    
8  GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several  Copyright (C) 2003-2007  Anders Gavare
 emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding  
 hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating  
 systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.  
   
 Processors (ARM, MIPS, PowerPC) are emulated using a kind of dynamic  
 translation system. Performance is somewhere between traditional  
 interpretation and recompilation into native code. However, the dynamic  
 translation system used in GXemul does not (currently) generate native  
 code, and thus does not require platform-specific back-ends. In plain  
 English, this means that the dyntrans system works on any host platform.  
9    
 Possible uses of the emulator include:  
10    
  o)  educational purposes, e.g. to learn how to write code for MIPS  
11    
12   o)  hobby operating system development; the emulator can be used as a  Overview  --  What is GXemul?
13       complement to testing your code on real hardware  -----------------------------
14    
15    GXemul is a framework for full-system computer architecture emulation.
16    Several processor architectures and machine types have been implemented.
17    It is working well enough to allow unmodified "guest" operating systems to
18    run inside the emulator, as if they were running on real hardware.
19    
20    The emulator emulates (networks of) real machines. The machines may
21    consist of ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, and SuperH processors, and various
22    surrounding hardware components such as framebuffers, busses, interrupt
23    controllers, ethernet controllers, disk controllers, and serial port
24    controllers.
25    
26    GXemul, including the dynamic translation system, is implemented in
27    portable C, which means that the emulator will run on practically any host
28    architecture.
29    
30    The documentation lists the machines and guest operating systems that can
31    be regarded as "working" in GXemul. The best working guest operating
32    systems are probably NetBSD/pmax and NetBSD/cats.
33    
34    Possible uses of GXemul include:
35    
36   o)  running guest operating systems in a "sandboxed" environment   o)  running guest operating systems in a "sandboxed" environment
37    
# Line 33  Possible uses of the emulator include: Line 40  Possible uses of the emulator include:
40       NetBSD), to make sure that your source code is portable to those       NetBSD), to make sure that your source code is portable to those
41       platforms       platforms
42    
43     o)  educational purposes, e.g. to learn how to write code for MIPS
44    
45     o)  hobby operating system development; the emulator can be used as a
46         complement to testing your code on real hardware
47    
48   o)  simulating (ethernet) networks of computers running various   o)  simulating (ethernet) networks of computers running various
49       operating systems, to study their interaction with each other       operating systems, to study their interaction with each other
50    
# Line 41  Possible uses of the emulator include: Line 53  Possible uses of the emulator include:
53  Use your imagination :-)  Use your imagination :-)
54    
55    
56    
57  GXemul's limitations  GXemul's limitations
58  --------------------  --------------------
59    
60   o)  GXemul is not (in general) a cycle-accurate simulator, because it does   o)  GXemul is not a cycle-accurate simulator, because it does not simulate
61       not simulate things smaller than an instruction. Pipe-line stalls,       things smaller than an instruction. Pipe-line stalls, instruction latency
62       instruction latency effects etc. are more or less completely ignored.       effects etc. are more or less completely ignored.
63    
64   o)  Hardware devices have been implemented in an ad-hoc and as-needed   o)  Hardware devices have been implemented in an ad-hoc and as-needed manner,
65       manner, usually only enough to fool certain guest operating systems       usually only enough to fool certain guest operating systems, e.g. NetBSD,
66       (e.g. NetBSD) that the hardware devices exist and function well       that the hardware devices exist and function well enough for those guest
67       enough for those guest operating systems to use them.       operating systems to use them.
68    
69       A consequence of this is that a machine mode may be implemented well       (A consequence of this is that a machine mode may be implemented well
70       enough to run NetBSD for that machine mode, but other guest operating       enough to run NetBSD for that machine mode, but other guest operating
71       systems may not run at all, or behave strangely.       systems may not run at all, or behave strangely.)
72    
73    
74    
75  Quick start  Quick start
76  -----------  -----------
77    
78  To compile, type './configure' and then 'make'. This should work on most  To compile, type './configure' and then 'make'. This should work on most
79  Unix-like systems. If not, then please mail me a bug report.  Unix-like systems. If it does not, then please mail me a bug report.
80    
81  You might want to experiment with various CC and CFLAGS environment  You might want to experiment with various CC and CFLAGS environment
82  variable settings, to get optimum performance.  variable settings, to get optimum performance.
83    
84  If you are impatient, and want to try out running a guest operating system  If you are impatient, and want to try out running a guest operating system
85  inside GXemul, read this:  doc/guestoses.html#netbsdcatsinstall  inside GXemul, read this:  doc/guestoses.html#netbsdpmaxinstall
86    
87  If you want to use GXemul for experimenting with code of your own,  If you want to use GXemul for experimenting with code of your own,
88  then I suggest you compile a Hello World program according to the tips  then I suggest you compile a Hello World program according to the tips
# Line 78  Please read the rest of the documentatio Line 92  Please read the rest of the documentatio
92  more detailed information on how to use the emulator.  more detailed information on how to use the emulator.
93    
94    
95    
96  Feedback  Feedback
97  --------  --------
98    
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