Computer Simulation Applications: Discrete-Event Simulation for Synthesis and Analysis of Complex Systems
Programming Systems and Languages.
Programming Systems and Languages.
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During development of a large-scale computer system, design decisions must be based on more than intuition and past experience. As development continues past the design phase, it is necessary to provide tools to verify that a system or subsystem is doing what it was designed to do from both functional and performance standpoints. Furthermore, it is necessary to have some means of evaluating the effects of proposed changes to an operational system. One valuable tool in satisfying these requirements is simulation. In developing the Advanced Scientific Computer (ASC) system, Texas Instruments relied, in part, upon an extensive simulation capability. This paper describes the various simulators, how they were used in the development and checkout of the ASC, and how they are now being used to assist in “tuning” the system, and to evaluate potential configurations. The simulators described include: • An operating system simulator which models the operating system program executing in the Peripheral Processing (PP) unit of the ASC. • A Fuctional Unit Simulator (FUS) which models the various functional units of the ASC. This simulator is of special interest because of the variety of techniques it employs and the number of functions it serves. • A Memory Subsystem Simulator which models the affects of multiple device (CP, PP, DISC, etc.) access to Central Memory. An Instruction Level Simulator (ILS) which is a classical interpretive simulator for use in program check out.