A Visual Simulation Framework For Simultaneous Multithreading Architectures

Abstract

The computing systems, and particularly microarchitectures, are in a continuous expansion reaching an unmanageable complexity by the human mind. In order to understand and control this expansion, researchers need to design and implement larger and more complex systems' simulators. In the current paradigm the simulators play the key role in going further, by translating all complex processing mechanisms in relevant and easy to understand information. This paper aims to make a suggestive description of the concepts and principles implemented into a Simultaneous Multithreading Architecture. We introduce the SMTAHSim framework, an educational tool that simulates in an interactive manner the important aspects of this particular microarchitecture. The graphical simulation and the results reporting techniques provide a lot of easy to understand information that outline an expressive image of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) processing mechanisms. Our developed software tool facilitates the understanding of theoretical questions, thus allowing students to feel more confident when studying SMTrelated issues.

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“…Besides their importance proved in the computer architecture research field, simulators have lately been extensively employed as a valuable pedagogical tool as they enable students to understand the theoretical concepts better and to visualize how microarchitectural components work and interact [8]. In [9] and [10] we proposed some interactive graphical simulators to teach Branch Prediction and Simultaneous Multithreading Architectures. Such simulators play a key role in translating all complex processing mechanisms in relevant and easy to understand information.…”