On automation of computer systems design and simulation

Automation of computer systems design and simulation involves a broad spectrum of computer engineering research topics: (1) algorithms design and implementation, (2) system structures modelling and design methodology, (3) system structures verification and evaluation against implemented algorithms via simulation, (4) transformation from verified system structures to implementations at chip level and/or silicon level, and (5) implementation verification via simulation.; Constant research and development activities have been conducted in three separated general areas: (1) computing algorithms, (2) computing systems modelling (description), and (3) computing systems implementation automation. The separated status of these areas are manifested by the lost connexions and responsibilities each area has for the others. For instance, the popular computer hardware description languages (CHDL's) are biased towards either the implemented algorithms simulation or the implementation facilitation, and to-day's computing systems (components) implementation automation is still limited to the silicon level and cannot accept as input a computer system described by the modelling research result.; This dissertation addresses the overall computer systems design and simulation automation by concentrating on the critical research area of computer systems modelling to provide the necessary connexions to the other two research areas. An automata-theory-based modelling technique is developed to model any computer system for implementation as well as system structures verification and evaluation against the implemented algorithms. While the modelling technique itself and its derived methodology take care of the implementation aspect, the system structures verification and evaluation against the implemented algorithms are achieved by the definition of a universal micro-programming language. The defined universal micro-programming language together with the modelling technique creates an environment for automatic code generation and overall system evaluations. The result is a computer systems development environment that allows convenient and economical investigations and evaluations of different algorithms as well as system structures for final implementation transformation.