VPP: Eclipse Project, SystemC Eclipse Environment(SCE)

The intention of this project is to provide a common environment into which all other ESL tools can quickly be integrated without the need to re-invent common requirements like SystemC highlighting and platform visulisation tools.

It will also be the basis for enabling analysis and debug projects (aimed at providing interfaces) to have proof of concept implementations

The Eclipse VPP is the Eclipse side of this project, while this project is the SystemC side.

More information about the Eclipse project can be found at: http://www.eclipse.org/proposals/vpp/ There is a news group set up for this project news:eclipse.dsdp.vpp

There is a web based protal to this: http://www.eclipse.org/newsportal/thread.php?group=eclipse.dsdp.vpp

However, for all of these, you must log into eclipse.org http://www.eclipse.org/newsgroups/register.php

Below are some small pieces ready to be donated to VPP.

Other items destined for VPP include IPXACT editors, and hopefully exemplar visulisation widgets for models to provide user interaction with model interfaces.

SCE - A SystemC Environment for Eclipse

Objectives and Goals

The goal is to provide an IDE for Eletronic System Level (ESL) Design supporting a wide range of specification and modeling aspects starting from a graphical design entry to model distributed embedded systems or multi-processor Systems-on-chip with automated code generation and refinement approaches. Another important aspect is to provide open interfaces for architectural exploration tools like SysXplorer or external user tools.

1. Creating a customizable, extensible IDE for modeling and capturing SystemC descriptions.
2. Providing a graphical design entry.
3. Developing methods and interfaces for automated code generation
4. Providing an API for the inclusion of user tools.

Creating a customizable, extensible IDE for modeling and capturing SystemC descriptions

The Current version of SCE is implemented as stand-alone plug-in for Eclipse:

• Typical project management functions like adding or importing files into projects aer as well supported as the creation of new SystemC projects and files.
• Basic configurations towards the SystemC library like includes, the library binary itself and the C++ compiler can be customized by preference pages.
• Color settings for syntax coloring and highlighting for the structural representation of a SystemC model can be done using preference pages.
• The outline of a SystemC model currently consists of two different graphical representation styles:

	The Tree viewer allows fast browsing of structural hierachies and the access of analysis and transformation tool by extension points provided by SCE.
	The graphical representation of a SystemC models consists of modules, ports, channels and interfaces.

• The capturing of the structure of a system is realized using a self developed SystemC parser, KaSCPar (www.fzi.de/sim/kascpar.html). The parsing process consists of two stages:
• The first stage parses the SystemC model and creates an abstract syntax tree (AST) in XML.
• The second stage uses the information stored in the AST to elaborate the design. One result of the elaboration phase is a structural description of the system.
  • Currently, we are working on extending the CDT plugin for gaining th C/C++ functionalities implemented in CDT like managed makefiles or refactoring

Providing a graphical design entry and Developing methods and interfaces for automated code generation

We further want to extend the functionally with SystemC code comlpletion and SystemC specific refactoring:

• The combination of multiple interfaces to one or the splitting of one interface to different regarding the attached ports and variables.
• Other refinement steps in our plan are the transformation of different abstractions of activities,e.g. SC_METHOD to SC_THREAD to use timing annotations.

Providing an API for the inclusion of user tools

We provide an API for the extension of SCE with user specific tools. These tools can focus multiple domains like analysis, monitoring or visualization. We want to use PORTOS, our tool for the automatic mapping of SystemC models to real-time operating systems, as an example for the integration of a user specific tool into SCE.

Longer term Goals

We want to extend the functionality towards automated code generation. Therefore, we focus on different input methods:

1. We use external UML2 tools and provide interfaces using standardized interface formats like XMI for capturing UML models and creating executable and analyzable SystemC models.
2. A specification of module characteristics using the SPIRIT format shall be automatic importable for SystemC code generation.
3. We will use basice functionalities provided by EMF/GEF to allow graphical model generation.

Roadmap

svn co https://svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/greensocs/packages/sce/SCE_Integrated