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Embedded Computing,

Edition 1 A VLIW Approach to Architecture, Compilers and Tools

Editors: By Joseph A. Fisher, Paolo Faraboschi and Cliff Young

Publication Date: 17 Dec 2004

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The fact that there are more embedded computers than general-purpose computers and that we are impacted by hundreds of them every day is no longer news. What is news is that their increasing performance requirements, complexity and capabilities demand a new approach to their design. Fisher, Faraboschi, and Young describe a new age of embedded computing design, in which the processor is central, making the approach radically distinct from contemporary practices of embedded systems design. They demonstrate why it is essential to take a computing-centric and system-design approach to the traditional elements of nonprogrammable components, peripherals, interconnects and buses. These elements must be unified in a system design with high-performance processor architectures, microarchitectures and compilers, and with the compilation tools, debuggers and simulators needed for application development. In this landmark text, the authors apply their expertise in highly interdisciplinary hardware/software development and VLIW processors to illustrate this change in embedded computing. VLIW architectures have long been a popular choice in embedded systems design, and while VLIW is a running theme throughout the book, embedded computing is the core topic. Embedded Computing examines both in a book filled with fact and opinion based on the authors many years of R&D experience.

Key Features

Complemented by a unique, professional-quality embedded tool-chain on the authors' website, http://www.vliw.org/book· Combines technical depth with real-world experience
Comprehensively explains the differences between general purpose computing systems and embedded systems at the hardware, software, tools and operating system levels
Uses concrete examples to explain and motivate the trade-offs

About the author

By Joseph A. Fisher, Senior HP Fellow Emeritus; Paolo Faraboschi, HP Labs, Barcelona, Spain and Cliff Young, D. E. Shaw Research and Development, L.L.C., New York, New York

PrefaceChapter 1: An Introduction to Embedded Processing1.1 What is Embedded Computing?1.2 Distinguishing Between Embedded and General Purpose Computing 1.3 Characterizing Embedded Computing 1.4 Embedded market structure 1.5 Further Reading 1.6 Exercises Chapter 2: An Overview of VLIW and ILP2.1 Semantics and parallelism 2.2 Design philosophies 2.3 Role of the compiler 2.4 VLIW in the embedded and DSP domains 2.5 Historical Perspective and Further Reading 2.6 Exercises Chapter 3: An Overview of ISA Design3.1 Overview: What to Hide 3.2 Basic VLIW design principles 3.3 Designing a VLIW ISA for Embedded Systems 3.4 Instruction-Set Encoding 3.5 VLIW Encoding 3.6 Encoding and Instruction-Set Extensions 3.7 Further Reading 3.8 Exercises Chapter 4: Architectural Structures in ISA design 4.1 The Datapath 4.2 Registers and Clusters 4.3 Memory Architecture 4.4 Branch Architecture 4.5 Speculation and Predication 4.6 System Operations 4.7 Further Reading 4.8 Exercises Chapter 5: Microarchitecture Design 5.1 Register File Design 5.2 Pipeline Design 5.3 VLIW Fetch, Sequencing and Decoding 5.4 The Datapath 5.5 Memory Architecture 5.6 Control Unit 5.7 Control Registers 5.8 Power Considerations 5.9 Further Reading 5.10 Exercises Chapter 6: System Design and Simulation6.1 System-on-Chip (SoC) 6.2 Processor Cores and System-On-Chip 6.3 Overview of Simulation 6.4 Simulating a VLIW architecture 6.5 System simulation 6.6 Validation and verification 6.7 Further Reading 6.8 Exercises Chapter 7: Embedded Compiling and Toolchains 7.1 What is important in an ILP Compiler? 7.2 Embedded cross-development toolchains 7.3 Structure of an ILP compiler 7.4 Code Layout 7.5 Embedded-specific trade-offs for compilers 7.6 DSP-Specific Compiler Optimizations 7.7 Further Reading 7.8 Exercises Chapter 8: Compiling for VLIWs and ILP 8.1 Profiling 8.2 Scheduling 8.3 Register allocation 8.4 Speculation and Predication 8.5 Instruction selection 8.6 Further Reading 8.7 Exercises Chapter 9: The Run-time System 9.1 Exceptions, interrupts, and traps 9.2 Application Binary Interface considerations 9.3 Code Compression 9.4 Embedded Operating Systems 9.5 Multiprocessing and Multithreading 9.6 Further Reading 9.7 Exercises Chapter 10: Application Design and Customization 10.1 Programming Language choices 10.2 Performance, Benchmarking and Tuning 10.3 Scalability and Customizability 10.4 Further Reading 10.5 Exercises Chapter 11: Application Areas 11.1 Digital Printing and Imaging 11.2 Telecom applications 11.3 Other application areas 11.4 Further Reading 11.5 Exercises Appendix A: The VEX System Appendix B: Glossary Appendix C: Bibliography

Title Reviews

“Embedded Computing is enthralling in its clarity and exhilarating in its scope. If the technology you are working on is associated with VLIWs or "embedded computing", then clearly it is imperative that you read this book. If you are involved in computer system design or programming, you must still read this book, because it will take you to places where the views are spectacular. You don't necessarily have to agree with every point the authors make, but you will understand what they are trying to say, and they will make you think.¿ —From the Foreword by Robert Colwell, R&E Colwell & Assoc. Inc

ISBN: 9781558607668

Page Count: 712

Retail Price (USD) :

Hennessy & Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach 3/e. pub date: 5/17/02, £59.99 1558605967 Sweetman, See MIPS Run, pub date: 2/9/99, £36.99, 1558604103Muchnick, Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation, Pub date: 8/1/97, £64.99, 1558603204

Embedded systems designers; system software developers; graduate students in computer science and computer engineering