/[gxemul]/trunk/RELEASE
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revision 4 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:18:00 2007 UTC revision 12 by dpavlin, Mon Oct 8 16:18:38 2007 UTC
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1  Release notes for GXemul 0.3.2  Release notes for Gavare's eXperimental Emulator (GXemul), 0.3.5
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. It can be used to
8  used to run binary code for (among others) MIPS-based machines. Several  run binary code for MIPS-based machines, regardless of host platform. Several
9  emulation modes are available. For some emulation modes, processors and  emulation modes are available. For some modes, processors and surrounding
10  surrounding hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified  hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating
11  operating systems run as if they were running on a real machine.  systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.
12    
13    (Non-MIPS emulation modes are also under development, but so far none of those
14    modes has reached the completeness required to run unmodified operating
15    systems.)
16    
17  I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run  I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run inside
18  inside the emulator:  the emulator:
19    
20      Guest operating system             Emulated machine      Guest operating system             Emulated machine
21      ----------------------             ----------------      ----------------------             ----------------
22      NetBSD/pmax 2.0 (and 1.6.2)        DECstation 5000/200      NetBSD/pmax 2.0.2 (and 1.6.2)      DECstation 5000/200
23      OpenBSD/pmax 2.8-BETA              DECstation 5000/200      OpenBSD/pmax 2.8-BETA              DECstation 5000/200
24      Ultrix 4.2-4.5                     DECstation 5000/200      Ultrix 4.2-4.5                     DECstation 5000/200
25      Sprite demo harddisk image         DECstation 5000/200      Sprite demo harddisk image         DECstation 5000/200
# Line 23  inside the emulator: Line 27  inside the emulator:
27      Redhat Linux 7.1 for mips          DECstation 5000/200      Redhat Linux 7.1 for mips          DECstation 5000/200
28      NetBSD/arc 1.6.2                   Acer PICA-61      NetBSD/arc 1.6.2                   Acer PICA-61
29      OpenBSD/arc 2.3                    Acer PICA-61      OpenBSD/arc 2.3                    Acer PICA-61
30      NetBSD/hpcmips 2.0                 NEC MobilePro 770, 780, 800, 880      NetBSD/hpcmips 2.0.2               NEC MobilePro 770, 780, 800, 880
31      NetBSD/cobalt 2.0                  Cobalt      NetBSD/cobalt 2.0.2                Cobalt
32        NetBSD/evbmips 2.0.2               Malta 5Kc/4Kc evaluation board
33        NetBSD/sgimips 2.0.2               SGI O2 ("IP32")
34    
35    Some of these guest operating systems are easier to install and run than
36    others. The best supported mode is the DECstation 5000/200 emulation mode, with
37    NetBSD/pmax as the guest operating system.
38    
39    A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost working
40    well enough to run complete guest operating systems, but most are just
41    skeletons. The modes that work are listed in the documentation.
42    
43    The emulator can also be used in other experiments; it does not have to run
44    entire guest operating systems. (However, GXemul does not simulate things
45    smaller than an instruction. What this means is that pipe-line stalls,
46    penalties caused by branch-prediction misses or cache misses, and other
47    micro-architectural effects are not simulated.)
48    
49    The user-visible changes between release 0.3.4 and 0.3.5 are minor, and
50    can be summarized as follows:
51    
52            o)  Updates to the (old) binary translation subsystem, resulting
53                in minor speed improvements.
54    
55  A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost          o)  64-bit MIPS dmult/dmultu has been fixed.
 working well enough to run complete guest operating systems, but most are  
 just skeletons. The modes that work are listed in the documentation.  
   
 The emulator can also be used in other experiments; it does not have to  
 run entire guest operating systems. It is important to remember, though,  
 that GXemul does not simulate things smaller than an instruction; this  
 means that pipe-line stalls, penalties caused by branch-prediction misses,  
 and other effects are not simulated.  
56    
57  The most important/visible changes from 0.3.1 to 0.3.2 are:          o)  slt* instructions for 64-bit MIPS were incorrectly implemented
58                in the i386 backend. This has been fixed.
59    
60          x)  NetBSD/cobalt can run from a harddisk image. (Installation  There have been many other bug fixes and updates, most of which are not
61              must be done using another OS though, for example NetBSD/pmax.)  visible.
   
         x)  Some minor fixes to make the binary translation system a bit  
             more stable.  
62    
63  Files included in this release are:  Files included in this release are:
64    
# Line 56  Files included in this release are: Line 72  Files included in this release are:
72    doc                         Documentation.    doc                         Documentation.
73    experiments                 Experimental code. (Usually not needed.)    experiments                 Experimental code. (Usually not needed.)
74    src                         Source code.    src                         Source code.
   tests                       Regression tests.  
75    
76  To build the emulator, run the ./configure script, and then run make.  To build the emulator, run the ./configure script, and then run make.
77    
# Line 128  them like this is in order: Line 143  them like this is in order:
143    
144      This product includes software developed by Marc Horowitz.      This product includes software developed by Marc Horowitz.
145    
146    Also, src/include/alpha_rpb.h requires the following:
147    
148        Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 Carnegie-Mellon University.
149        All rights reserved.
150    
151        Author: Keith Bostic, Chris G. Demetriou
152    
153        Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software and
154        its documentation is hereby granted, provided that both the copyright
155        notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of the
156        software, derivative works or modified versions, and any portions
157        thereof, and that both notices appear in supporting documentation.
158    
159    
160  See individual files for license details, if you plan to redistribute GXemul  See individual files for license details, if you plan to redistribute GXemul
161  or reuse code.  or reuse code.
162    
163  Thanks to everyone who has provided me with feedback.  Thanks to (in no specific order) Joachim Buss, Juli Mallett, Juan RP, Alec
164    Voropay, Göran Weinholt, Alexander Yurchenko, and everyone else who has
165    provided me with feedback.
166    
167  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
168  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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