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Levels of Modelling Abstraction
Our modelling system must support all stages of the design process, from design entry to
fabrication. We need to mix components using different levels of abstraction
in one simulation setup.
Levels commonly used are:
- Functional Modelling: The `output' from a simulation run is accurate.
- Memory Accurate Modelling: The contents and layout of memory is accurate.
- Untimed TLM: No time stamps recorded on transactions.
- Loosely-timed TLM: The number of transactions is accurate, but order may be wrong.
- Approximately-timed TLM: The number and order of transactions is accurate.
- Cycle-Accurate Level Modelling: The number of clock cycles consumed is accurate.
- Event-Level Modelling: The ordering of net changes within a clock cycle is accurate.
Other terms in use are:
- Programmer View Accurate: The contents of visible memory and registers
is as per the real hardware, but timing may be inaccurate and other registers or combinational
nets that are not designated as part of the `programmers view' may not be modelled accurately.
- Behavioural Modelling: Using a threads package, or other library (e.g. SystemC),
hand-crafted programs are written to model the behaviour of each component or subsystem.
Major hardware items such as busses, caches or DRAM controllers may be neglected in
such a model.
The Programmer's View is often abbreviated as `PV' and if timing is added it is called
`PV+T'.
The Programmer's View contains only architecturally-significant
registers such as those that the software programmer can manipulate
with instructions. Other registers in a particular hardware
implementation, such as pipeline stages and holding registers to
overcome structural hazards, are not part of the PV.