Bridging the Compiler-Simulator Gap: Faster and Easier Hardware/Software Optimization

让计算机运行得更快需要优化利用硬件的软件。探索新的硬件想法需要硬件模拟器，并优化软件以匹配想象中的硬件。构建这些并使它们匹配是耗时且容易出错的。CoGenT项目正在自动化模拟器和匹配软件工具的构建，以便更多的人可以更快地探索现代计算机和编程语言的更多想法。CoGenT代表（模拟和编译）工具的共同生成，带有机器描述。从指令格式，执行，和定时信息，我们产生预测模拟器Java程序上所描述的硬件。Java系统包括优化编译器和非优化编译器，我们将这两个编译器重定向到目标硬件。我们通过对编译器的抽象机器使用与硬件目标相同的描述形式来做到这一点。我们通过搜索目标指令来匹配每个可能的抽象代码片段来生成代码生成规则。我们还关注编译器后端的自动化构建，以及我们构建的模拟器的效率。虽然某些硬件创新显然需要全新的技术来有效地利用它们，但我们自动化了现有优化编译器中解决的这些方面。我们的贡献在于提高了技术的自动化程度和集成度，并提高了模拟器的性能。虽然主要设置是模拟，但结果在编译器重定向、动态二进制翻译等方面非常有用。

Making computers go fast requires optimizing software that exploits thehardware. Exploring new hardware ideas requires hardware simulators, ANDoptimizing software matching the imagined hardware. It is time-consumingand error-prone to build these and get them to match. The CoGenT project isautomating the building of simulators and matching software tools, so thatmore people can explore more ideas, more quickly, for modern computers andprogramming languages.CoGenT, which stands for Co-Generation of (simulation and compilation)Tools, with machine descriptions. From instruction format, execution, andtiming information, we produce predictive simulators for Java programs onthe described hardware. The Java system includes optimizing andnon-optimizing compilers, and we retarget both compilers to the targethardware. We do this by using the same description forms for the compiler'sabstract machine as for the hardware target. We generate code generationrules by searching for target instructions to match each possible abstractcode fragment. We are also concerned with automated construction of therest of the compiler back end, and with efficiency of the simulators we build.While certain hardware innovations clearly demand entirely new techniquesto exploit them effectively, we automate those aspects addressed in theexisting optimizing compiler. Our contributions lie in the increased degreeof automation and integration of the techniques, and in improved simulatorperformance. While the primary setting is simulation, the results areuseful in compiler retargeting, dynamic binary translation, and beyond.