Simulating the DASH architecture in HASE

HASE (Hierarchical computer Architecture design and Simulation Environment) allows for the rapid development and exploration of computer architectures at multiple levels of abstraction, encompassing both hardware and software. The user interacts with HASE via an X-Windows/Motif graphical interface, and one of the main forms of output is an animation of the design window. The DASH architecture was designed to prove the feasibility of building a scaleable high-performance machine with multiple coherent caches and a single address space. The HASE simulation therefore concentrates on implementing the cache coherency protocols, and the animator has been used to check that the simulation conforms to the architecture. Future work will involve performance checks of the simulator, and thence possible architectural enhancements.