A Lightweight Framework for the Dynamic Creation and Configuration of Virtual Platforms in SystemC
Christian Sauer, Hans-Peter Loeb · ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems · 2016
Virtual prototypes leverage SystemC/TLM for simulating programmable platforms comprising hundreds of modules. Their efficient creation and configuration is vital for acceptable turnaround times, for example, during performance exploration or software development. Therefore, our lightweight framework provides a factory that creates designs from abstract descriptions of module instances, properties, and connections. Modules mark properties as creation or runtime parameters. The resulting generic design descriptions are usable by non-experts and enable front-ends. The infrastructure is a small C++ library with only 1,350 lines of code that can be combined with existing SystemC/TLM models and simulation kernels. An industrial case study of a complex multiprocessor SoC shows a distinct productivity gain.