Benchmarking Micro-architecture Using Software - Research Paper Example

Introduction The Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) is common in the programming of microsystems. These microsystems include microprocessors and microcontrollers, which are used to achieve certain tasks. The performance of these systems greatly depends on the design of the hardware and the firmware used as well. The development stages should be monitored carefully. The Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is usually used to define the interface between the microprocessor and the user (Tanenbaum, p. 327). These are defined by many parameters such as the instructions set, the instruction encoding and the rules for using these instructions. Some of the rules are mnemonics addressing modes and functionality. The details at this level are invisible to the user. This is known as abstraction. The implementation of MIPS is borne on the platform of Reduced Instruction Set Computers (RISC). Validation and Verification Validation in system design is concerned with the confirmation that the goals set are the right ones. This is to enable the proper implementation of the project. Validation is usually done during several different stages of development. It is essential at each level because it ensures that the preceding level is valid before proceeding to the next one. Validation is achieved in different ways. In the micro architecture, use of test inputs and checking on the result is the most common way of validation and verifying the system. So, before the development of the I/O functions, an algorithm is used to test various features if the microsystem. The benchmark program checks for the validity of many features of the micro architecture and verifies some of the features (Patterson, p. 47). Some of these features of the microsystem are illustrated below. The benchmark program used generates a quadratic residue from the integer inputs used by the algorithm. This program checks for functionality of different features mostly in computation. This is because it is the most important feature of the design. The instruction that will be fed into the system will need to be computed consistently. This makes the feature the basis of the design. This computation results in the output of the residue problem used. The program can be altered by using different quadratic residue problems to check for consistency in the system. This is also good for checking the range of values that the program can accept as input and compute without crashing. This is vital because then the designers can tell whether the system can accept the range of inputs specified in the requirements. They can also check whether it will need reprogramming. During this kind of testing, sometimes, wrong inputs are put to check how the system will react to them. The system should be able to handle wrong inputs without devastating consequences that will lead to system failure. The users are likely to enter wrong inputs from time to time and their handling should be factored in the design. The use of an 8-bit feedback register shows that the system has functionality for feedback. Feedback is described as the process where the system uses the output generated from a process as input for the same or a similar process. This is common in scenarios where complex computations are performed. These computations require the output of a process to be used as input. If this value has not been generated correctly, the system is likely to encounter an error. This is another feature, which is checked by the system. The application of this feedback is handled using a register. There are several other methods used for feedback systems such as logic circuits, but they are all used interchangeably. The program also has an increment functionality. This functionality is used to increase the value in the counter. The counter has many uses in the system, but is mostly utilized in checking the number of times a program performs a certain function. The increment functions increase the value after execution by any preprogrammed value. The default value for incrementing is usually one. The counter has a maximum value set. When the increment value reaches this limit, the counter resets to zero, or triggers another function. In the verification of this function, the program can check to verify the behavior of the counter after the set values are reached. For the counter functionality, the program has to initialize the counter. In this program, the counter increments the value after the program successfully has the quadratic residues. The increment value is multiplied by the current number and the result is allocated a memory location. The program implement shift registers to move the variable into different locations. Registers are always present in microsystems, and they are quite important. The use of shift registers in these programs tests their functionality in the system. The one used in this program is an 8-bit register and it is used for storing the quadratic residues after they have been computed. The use of logic gates is another feature that has been tested by the program. Logic gates are useful in the development of combinational circuits and programmable devices. Most of these devices are developed at microarchitecture level. The gate benchmarked using the program is Exclusive OR gate (XOR). The XOR gate is used with the feedback value and the current value. The program also tests the output feature of the program, which prints to the screen. Conclusion The achievement of the best performing product after development is the goal of software development or system design. This is easily achieved through the systematic validation and verification of the system. In microarchitecture accuracy, integrity and correctness are very essential in design (Tanenbaum, p. 278). They are performed at every stage to ensure design is going OK. The most common verification methods involve checking how the system behaves with a certain set of data. Input and output portions of the architecture are not usually designed until a later stage in the cycle. The algorithms and benchmark programs are used to show how some of the features of the hardware perform. Validation and verification of the design is very important in the design of microsystems because they require a high level of correctness and integrity. Works Cited Patterson, A, P. Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/ Software Interface. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann. 2011. Print. Tanenbaum, A, S. Structured Computer Organization. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2005. Print. Read More