Patent ID: 6760888
Filing Date: 2004-07-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer-based method for creating a processor design: the processor design, when implemented in hardware as a processor, being adapted to execute an object code program, the method comprising the steps of:accepting a configuration specification, the configuration specification including a base instruction set with a plurality of instructions and a plurality of extensible features, wherein at lease one of the plurality of extensible features is an additional instruction; generating a hardware implementation description of the processor design using the configuration specification; generating an assembler program, tailored to the configuration specification, for assembling the plurality of instructions into code executable by the processor; the assembler program capable of: accepting a symbolic representation of each of the plurality of instructions, and producing an object code representation of each of the plurality of instructions; generating an instruction set simulator program based upon the configuration specification, wherein the instruction set simulator program is adapted to accept and operate upon the plurality of instructions in a same manner as the processor; generating a debugger program, based upon the configuration specification, that is adapted to interoperate with the instruction set simulator program; evaluating performance of the hardware implementation description by running the object code program on the instruction set simulator program; and updating the configuration specification based upon the step of evaluating to created an updated configuration specification.