Implementing Cache Coherence Protocols in the VivioJS Environment: an Experience Report

Cache coherence protocols play an important role in multiprocessor systems. For that reason, interactive simulations and visualizations of such protocols are often presented and used in computer architecture courses. This paper presents a short guide to the development of interactive animations of cache coherence protocols using VivioJS environment. First, an overview of existing tools for the development of interactive simulations is given. Then we explain the choice of simulation framework, followed by the description of the Vivio system and its latest iteration, VivioJS. We give an overview of the modifications we made to cache coherence protocols simulations from previous Vivio framework implementations. In the end, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the mentioned framework, our experiences, and recommendations for further improvement.