Multiprocessor enhancements of the SimpleScalar tool set

This paper describes multiprocessor enhancements of the SimpleScalar tool set. The core simulation code has been modified to support multiprocessing, and a run-time library has been introduced for thread creation and synchronization. Measurements using the SPLASH-2 parallel benchmark suite [13] indicate that the multiprocessor enhancements introduce simulation overhead of 30%-50% relative to the original uniprocessor simulator. An idealized multiprocessor cache simulator has also been developed, and a dynamic visualization tool for cache coherence has also been developed. These multiprocessor enhancements are available at the WWW site for the SimpleScalar tool set.

[1]  Håkan Grahn,et al.  SimICS/Sun4m: A Virtual Workstation , 1998, USENIX Annual Technical Conference.

[2]  Robert J. Fowler,et al.  MINT: a front end for efficient simulation of shared-memory multiprocessors , 1994, Proceedings of International Workshop on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems.

[3]  James Arthur Kohl,et al.  A Tool to Aid in the Design, Implementation, and Understanding of Matrix Algorithms for Parallel Processors , 1990, J. Parallel Distributed Comput..

[4]  Scott Devine,et al.  Using the SimOS machine simulator to study complex computer systems , 1997, TOMC.

[5]  S. Turner,et al.  Performance Analysis Using the MIPS R10000 Performance Counters , 1996, Proceedings of the 1996 ACM/IEEE Conference on Supercomputing.

[6]  Sarita V. Adve,et al.  RSIM Reference Manual: Version 1.0 , 1997 .

[7]  David Keppel,et al.  Shade: a fast instruction-set simulator for execution profiling , 1994, SIGMETRICS.

[8]  James R. Goodman,et al.  Improving the throughput of synchronization by insertion of delays , 2000, Proceedings Sixth International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture. HPCA-6 (Cat. No.PR00550).

[9]  Anoop Gupta,et al.  The SPLASH-2 programs: characterization and methodological considerations , 1995, ISCA.

[10]  David A. Wood,et al.  Cache profiling and the SPEC benchmarks: a case study , 1994, Computer.

[11]  James H. Patterson,et al.  Portable Programs for Parallel Processors , 1987 .

[12]  Josep Torrellas,et al.  The Augmint multiprocessor simulation toolkit for Intel x86 architectures , 1996, Proceedings International Conference on Computer Design. VLSI in Computers and Processors.

[13]  Margaret Martonosi,et al.  Tuning Memory Performance of Sequential and Parallel Programs , 1995, Computer.