Collaborative Research: CRI: A Community Resource Development Project for a Retargetable and Reconfigurable Software Dynamic Translation Infrastructure

这个协作项目，开发支持软件动态（运行时）修改的工具，并探索这些工具的使用，解决了软件开发人员面临的许多关键挑战。这些问题包括软件安全性、软件健壮性、性能、资源感知计算、经济有效的软件开发、经济有效的软件更新和补丁，以及对异构执行环境的支持。所采用的实际方法是软件动态转换（SDT），它是一种技术，通过提供监控和动态修改正在执行的应用程序程序的工具，使软件在指令级别具有可塑性和适应性。研究人员已经开发出一种SDT系统，正在各种成功的前沿研究项目中使用。这个社区资源开发项目扩展并改进了现有的SDT系统，以便更广泛的研究社区可以使用它。扩展后的原型将包含以下功能：自动生成高性能指令解码器；将指令集反编译为更中性的格式（rtl），以支持更丰富的分析和翻译形式；在RLT上提供一套有用的分析，可以作为未来分析的模板；除了基础设施的扩展和改进之外，这项工作还支持软件。这种关键的支持使构建一个活跃的、富有成效的用户社区成为可能。该项目提供了一个完整的开源框架，可能会加速新的SDT实现技术的开发以及对其新用途的研究。该项目有助于理解关键算法和数据结构，以支持灵活的、可重新定位的SDT系统的实现。更广泛的影响：该项目有助于减少国家重要计算基础设施的脆弱性。此外，一个开放的、可扩展的框架可以在编译器、语言、硬件和度量方面进行大量的研究。此外，匹兹堡大学鼓励代表性不足的学生利用特定的招聘机制参加。

This collaborative project, developing tools that support the dynamic (as it runs) modification of software and exploring the use of these tools, addresses many critical challenges facing software developers. Such issues include software security, software robustness, performance, resource-aware computation, cost-effective software development, cost-effective software updating and patching, and support for heterogeneous execution environments. The practical approach employed, Software Dynamic Translation (SDT), is a technology that enables software malleability and adaptivity at the instruction level by providing facilities for monitoring and dynamically modifying an application program as it is being executed. The investigators have developed a SDT system that is being used in various successful cutting-edge research projects. This community resource development project extends and refines the existing SDT system so the broader research community can use it. The extended prototype into a more production quality system will contain features such as:Automatically generated high-performance instruction decodersDecompilation of the instruction set into a more neutral format (RTLs) to support richer forms of analysis and translationA useful suite of analyses on the RLT that can serve as templates for future analysisTools for detecting and forming hot traces/pathsSupport for commonly used targets (e.g., x86 Windows)Beyond the extension and refinement of the infrastructure, the work supports software. This crucial support enables the building of an active, productive community of users. Providing a complete, open-source framework, this project might accelerate research in the development of a new SDT implementation techniques as well as research into its novel uses. The project contributes to the understanding of key algorithms and data structures necessary to support the implementation of flexible, retargetable SDT systems.Broader Impact: This project contributes to the reduction of the vulnerability of the nation's vital computing infrastructure. In addition, an open, extensible framework enables a great deal of research in compilers, languages, hardware, and measurements. Moreover, underrepresented students are encouraged to participate utilizing a specific recruitment mechanism in place at U Pittsburgh.