--- trunk/RELEASE 2007/10/08 16:18:27 10 +++ trunk/RELEASE 2007/10/08 16:18:38 12 @@ -1,18 +1,21 @@ -Release notes for GXemul 0.3.4 -============================== +Release notes for Gavare's eXperimental Emulator (GXemul), 0.3.5 +================================================================ Copyright (C) 2003-2005 Anders Gavare. -GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. It can be -used to run binary code for (among others) MIPS-based machines, regardless -of host platform. Several emulation modes are available. For 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. +GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. It can be used to +run binary code for MIPS-based machines, regardless of host platform. Several +emulation modes are available. For 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. + +(Non-MIPS emulation modes are also under development, but so far none of those +modes has reached the completeness required to run unmodified operating +systems.) -I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run -inside the emulator: +I have verified that the following "guest" operating systems can run inside +the emulator: Guest operating system Emulated machine ---------------------- ---------------- @@ -29,35 +32,33 @@ NetBSD/evbmips 2.0.2 Malta 5Kc/4Kc evaluation board NetBSD/sgimips 2.0.2 SGI O2 ("IP32") -Some of these guest operating systems are easier to install and run than -others. The best supported mode is the DECstation 5000/200 emulation mode, -with NetBSD/pmax as the guest operating system. - -A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost -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. (However, GXemul does not simulate -things smaller than an instruction. What this means is that pipe-line -stalls, penalties caused by branch-prediction misses or cache misses, and -other micro-architectural effects are not simulated.) - -Summary of changes between release 0.3.3.2 and 0.3.4: - - x) When emulating a network of multiple machines, the emulated - machines can now be placed on different hosts. - - x) NetBSD/evbmips can now be installed and run from a disk image. - (There is no INSTALL kernel for NetBSD/evbmips, so you need to - install using another OS, for example emulated NetBSD/pmax.) - - x) NetBSD/sgimips can now be installed. Not onto a SCSI disk, - but the files can be exported via nfs from another emulated - machine. The sgimips machine can then netboot. (Read the - documentation for details.) +Some of these guest operating systems are easier to install and run than +others. The best supported mode is the DECstation 5000/200 emulation mode, with +NetBSD/pmax as the guest operating system. -There have also been various other minor updates and bugfixes. +A couple of other emulation modes exist. Some of these modes are almost 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. (However, GXemul does not simulate things +smaller than an instruction. What this means is that pipe-line stalls, +penalties caused by branch-prediction misses or cache misses, and other +micro-architectural effects are not simulated.) + +The user-visible changes between release 0.3.4 and 0.3.5 are minor, and +can be summarized as follows: + + o) Updates to the (old) binary translation subsystem, resulting + in minor speed improvements. + + o) 64-bit MIPS dmult/dmultu has been fixed. + + o) slt* instructions for 64-bit MIPS were incorrectly implemented + in the i386 backend. This has been fixed. + +There have been many other bug fixes and updates, most of which are not +visible. Files included in this release are: @@ -71,7 +72,6 @@ doc Documentation. experiments Experimental code. (Usually not needed.) src Source code. - tests Regression tests. To build the emulator, run the ./configure script, and then run make. @@ -143,12 +143,26 @@ This product includes software developed by Marc Horowitz. +Also, src/include/alpha_rpb.h requires the following: + + Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 Carnegie-Mellon University. + All rights reserved. + + Author: Keith Bostic, Chris G. Demetriou + + Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software and + its documentation is hereby granted, provided that both the copyright + notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of the + software, derivative works or modified versions, and any portions + thereof, and that both notices appear in supporting documentation. + + See individual files for license details, if you plan to redistribute GXemul or reuse code. -Thanks to (in no specific order, that is, this is in alphabetic order :-) -Joachim Buss, Juli Mallett, Juan RP, Alec Voropay, Alexander Yurchenko, -and everyone else who has provided me with feedback. +Thanks to (in no specific order) Joachim Buss, Juli Mallett, Juan RP, Alec +Voropay, Göran Weinholt, Alexander Yurchenko, and everyone else who has +provided me with feedback. If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me comments or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.