Retargetable frameworks for embedded systems exploration

This paper evaluates some trends regarding embedded systems design. These trends focus on the development of new methodologies to cope with short design cycles of software tools. The most promising approach explores the use of architecture description languages (ADL) to retarget software tools for different processors in order to reduce the development time. In this paper, we propose a solution which is based on a new ADL to retarget the development environment (framework + tools) for embedded systems. The environment is composed of a set of plug-ins that explore and connect to the infrastructure provided by Eclipse. The environment generates development tools such as special editors, simulators, debuggers, assemblers and linkers, and also allows the orchestration of these tools in development of embedded systems. These tools are generated based on a new ADL - MiADL, which is employed in the specification of a processor's instruction-set architecture (ISA), using an expressive and natural description. MiADL explores the common features of instructions to obtain compact descriptions. The language promotes clear specification of complex instruction formats as is exemplified in the paper.