Abstract
Software-development tool chains are hardware-dependent by their nature, because compilers and assemblers targeted to specific processors must generate target-specific code. However, a processor that is both configurable and extensible, with a variable instruction set architecture (ISA) melded to a basic architecture compounds the problems of adapting the software development tools to specific processor configurations. The only tractable way to support such extensible processor ISAs is through a highly automated tool-generation flow that allows the dynamic creation and adaptation of the development-tool chain to a specific instance of the processor. To be of practical use, this process (automated tool generation) must transpire in minutes. This chapter discusses the issues of application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP) configurability and extensibility as they relate to all the elements of a software development tool chain ranging from an integrated development environment (IDE) to compilers, profilers, instruction-set simulators (ISS), operating systems, and many other development tools and middleware. In addition to drawing out the issues involved, we illustrate possible solutions to these hardware-dependent software (HdS) problems by drawing on the experience of developing Tensilica’s Xtensa processor, as an example.
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© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.
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Augustine, S. et al. (2009). Generation and Use of an ASIP Software Tool Chain. In: Ecker, W., Müller, W., Dömer, R. (eds) Hardware-dependent Software. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9436-1_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9436-1_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9435-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9436-1
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