Software and System Development using Virtual Platforms: Full-System Simulation with Wind River Simics

"Full-system simulators have the potential to yield a quantum leap in software development productivity. This book explores the potential of this technology in general and Simics in particular, backed by numerous real-world examples.  A must-read for anyone serious about development of complex embedded systems." --Niklas Rudemo, President of Virtutech AB (maker of Simics), 2002-2010

"This book does an outstanding job of conveying what full-system simulation is, explaining the spectrum of its application, describing real-world examples, and providing a peek under-the-hood.  Readers will come away with a solid understanding of how this technology can benefit their organizations and even some hands-on familiarity with transaction-level model development." --Trevor Wieman, Principal Engineer, Intel Design & Technology Solutions, Pre-Silicon Systems

"Being a Simics Customer Support Engineer I am always looking for information that is useful, focused and presented in a clear and concise manner. Being involved in Simics since its conception, the author not only knows how Simics works, he also knows the industry and Simulation Theory.  This book is proving to be a must-have for anyone using, or interested in, using Simics." --Gary Belanger, Technical Support Engineer, Wind River

Virtual platforms are finding widespread use in both pre- and post-silicon computer software and system development. They reduce time to market, improve system quality, make development more efficient, and enable truly concurrent hardware/software design and bring-up. Virtual platforms increase productivity with unparalleled inspection, configuration, and injection capabilities. In combination with other types of simulators, they provide full-system simulations where computer systems can be tested together with the environment in which they operate.

This book is not only about what simulation is and why it is important, it will also cover the methods of building and using simulators for computer-based systems. Inside you’ll find a comprehensive book about simulation best practice and design patterns, using Simics as its base along with real-life examples to get the most out of your Simics implementation. You’ll learn about: Simics architecture, model-driven development, virtual platform modelling, networking, contiguous integration, debugging, reverse execution, simulator integration, workflow optimization, tool automation, and much more.

• Distills decades of experience in using and building virtual platforms to help readers realize the full potential of virtual platform simulation
• Covers modeling related use-cases including devices, systems, extensions, and fault injection
• Explains how simulations can influence software development, debugging, system configuration, networking, and more
• Discusses how to build complete full-system simulation systems from a mix of simulators