/[gxemul]/trunk/RELEASE
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revision 6 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:18:11 2007 UTC revision 18 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:19:11 2007 UTC
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1  Release notes for GXemul 0.3.3.1  Release notes for Gavare's eXperimental Emulator (GXemul), 0.3.6.2
2  ================================  ==================================================================
3    
4  Copyright (C) 2003-2005  Anders Gavare.  Copyright (C) 2003-2005  Anders Gavare.
5    
6    
7  GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. It can be  GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several
8  used to run binary code for (among others) MIPS-based machines. Several  emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding
9  emulation modes are available. For some emulation modes, processors and  hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating
10  surrounding hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified  systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.
 operating systems run as if they were running on a real machine.  
11    
12  I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run  The processor architecture best emulated by GXemul is MIPS, but other
13  inside the emulator:  architectures are also partially emulated.
14    
15    I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run inside
16    the emulator:
17    
18      Guest operating system             Emulated machine      Guest operating system             Emulated machine
19      ----------------------             ----------------      ----------------------             ----------------
20      NetBSD/pmax 2.0 (and 1.6.2)        DECstation 5000/200      NetBSD/pmax 2.0.2 (and 1.6.2)      DECstation 5000/200
21      OpenBSD/pmax 2.8-BETA              DECstation 5000/200      OpenBSD/pmax 2.8-BETA              DECstation 5000/200
22      Ultrix 4.2-4.5                     DECstation 5000/200      Ultrix 4.2-4.5                     DECstation 5000/200
23      Sprite demo harddisk image         DECstation 5000/200      Sprite demo harddisk image         DECstation 5000/200
# Line 23  inside the emulator: Line 25  inside the emulator:
25      Redhat Linux 7.1 for mips          DECstation 5000/200      Redhat Linux 7.1 for mips          DECstation 5000/200
26      NetBSD/arc 1.6.2                   Acer PICA-61      NetBSD/arc 1.6.2                   Acer PICA-61
27      OpenBSD/arc 2.3                    Acer PICA-61      OpenBSD/arc 2.3                    Acer PICA-61
28      NetBSD/hpcmips 2.0                 NEC MobilePro 770, 780, 800, 880      NetBSD/hpcmips 2.0.2               NEC MobilePro 770, 780, 800, 880
29      NetBSD/cobalt 2.0                  Cobalt      NetBSD/cobalt 2.0.2                Cobalt
30        NetBSD/evbmips 2.0.2               Malta 5Kc/4Kc evaluation board
31        NetBSD/sgimips 2.0.2               SGI O2 ("IP32")
32        NetBSD/cats 2.0.2                  CATS (ARM)
33        OpenBSD/cats 3.7                   CATS (ARM)
34    
35    (Most of these are MIPS-based machines, except the CATS, which is an
36    ARM-based machine.)
37    
38    Some of these guest operating systems are easier to install and run than
39    others. The best supported mode is the DECstation 5000/200 emulation mode,
40    with NetBSD/pmax as the guest operating system.
41    
42  A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost  A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost
43  working well enough to run complete guest operating systems, but most are  working well enough to run complete guest operating systems, but most are
44  just skeletons. The modes that work are listed in the documentation.  just skeletons. The modes that work are listed in the documentation.
45    
46  The emulator can also be used in other experiments; it does not have to  The emulator can also be used in other experiments; it does not have to run
47  run entire guest operating systems. It is important to remember, though,  entire guest operating systems. (However, GXemul does not simulate things
48  that GXemul does not simulate things smaller than an instruction; this  smaller than an instruction. What this means is that pipe-line stalls,
49  means that pipe-line stalls, penalties caused by branch-prediction misses,  penalties caused by branch-prediction misses or cache misses, and other
50  and other effects are not simulated.  micro-architectural effects are not simulated.)
51    
52  Summary of changes between release 0.3.2 and 0.3.3.1:  The most imporant user-visible change between release 0.3.5 and 0.3.6 is:
53    
54          x)  When booting from an ISO9660 (CDROM) filesystem image, the kernel      x)  The experimental ARM emulation mode is now working well enough
55              can now in some cases be read directly from the image, so there is          to install NetBSD/cats and OpenBSD/cats onto harddisk images.
             no need any longer to supply an external kernel. (It is a quick,  
             buggy, and very ugly hack, but it sometimes works.)  
   
         x)  Mixing more than one disk image type (SCSI, IDE, PC-style floppy)  
             within one emulated machine is now possible. (There is however no  
             stable emulation mode yet that uses this.)  
56    
57          x)  Many minor updates and bugfixes.  There have also been lots of other small changes, too small to mention here.
58    
59    The 0.3.6.1 and 0.3.6.2 releases contain bugfixes and some performance
60    hacks.
61    
62  Files included in this release are:  Files included in this release are:
63    
# Line 61  Files included in this release are: Line 71  Files included in this release are:
71    doc                         Documentation.    doc                         Documentation.
72    experiments                 Experimental code. (Usually not needed.)    experiments                 Experimental code. (Usually not needed.)
73    src                         Source code.    src                         Source code.
   tests                       Regression tests.  
74    
75  To build the emulator, run the ./configure script, and then run make.  To build the emulator, run the ./configure script, and then run make.
76    
# Line 133  them like this is in order: Line 142  them like this is in order:
142    
143      This product includes software developed by Marc Horowitz.      This product includes software developed by Marc Horowitz.
144    
145        This product includes software developed by Brini.
146    
147        This product includes software developed by Mark Brinicombe
148        for the NetBSD Project.
149    
150    Also, src/include/alpha_rpb.h requires the following:
151    
152        Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 Carnegie-Mellon University.
153        All rights reserved.
154    
155        Author: Keith Bostic, Chris G. Demetriou
156    
157        Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software and
158        its documentation is hereby granted, provided that both the copyright
159        notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of the
160        software, derivative works or modified versions, and any portions
161        thereof, and that both notices appear in supporting documentation.
162    
163  See individual files for license details, if you plan to redistribute GXemul  See individual files for license details, if you plan to redistribute GXemul
164  or reuse code.  or reuse code.
165    
166  Thanks to everyone who has provided me with feedback.  Thanks to (in no specific order) Joachim Buss, Juli Mallett, Juan Romero
167    Pardines, Alec Voropay, Göran Weinholt, Alexander Yurchenko, and everyone
168    else who has provided me with feedback.
169    
170  If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me comments  If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me comments
171  or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.  or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.
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