Abstract: An external Auxiliary Execution Unit (AXU) interface is provided between a processing core disposed in a first programmable chip and an off-chip AXU disposed in a second programmable chip to integrate the AXU with an issue unit, a fixed point execution unit, and optionally other functional units in the processing core. The external AXU interface enables the issue unit to issue instructions to the AXU in much the same manner as the issue unit would be able to issue instructions to an AXU that was disposed on the same chip. By doing so, the AXU on the second programmable chip can be designed, tested and verified independent of the processing core on the first programmable chip, thereby enabling a common processing core, which has been designed, tested, and verified, to be used in connection with multiple different AXU designs.

Abstract: Emulating a computer run time environment including: storing translated code in blocks of a translated code cache, each block of the translated code cache designated for storage of translated code for a separate one of the target executable processes, including identifying each block in dependence upon an identifier of the process for which the block is designated as storage; executing by the emulation environment a particular one of the target executable processes, using for target code translation the translated code in the block of the translated code cache designated as storage for the particular process; and upon encountering a context switch by the target operating system to execution of a new target executable process, changing from the block designated for the particular process to using for target code translation the translated code in the block of the translated code cache designated as storage for the new target executable process.

Abstract: An external Auxiliary Execution Unit (AXU) interface is provided between a processing core disposed in a first programmable chip and an off-chip AXU disposed in a second programmable chip to integrate the AXU with an issue unit, a fixed point execution unit, and optionally other functional units in the processing core. The external AXU interface enables the issue unit to issue instructions to the AXU in much the same manner as the issue unit would be able to issue instructions to an AXU that was disposed on the same chip. By doing so, the AXU on the second programmable chip can be designed, tested and verified independent of the processing core on the first programmable chip, thereby enabling a common processing core, which has been designed, tested, and verified, to be used in connection with multiple different AXU designs.

Abstract: A method for allowing simultaneous parameter-driven and deterministic simulation during verification of a hardware design, comprising: enabling a plurality of random parameter-driven commands from a random command generator to execute in a simulation environment during verification of the hardware design through a command managing device; and enabling a plurality of deterministic commands from a manually-driven testcase port to execute in the simulation environment simultaneously with the plurality of random parameter-driven commands during verification of the hardware design through the command managing device, the plurality of deterministic commands and the plurality of random parameter-driven commands each verify the functionality of the hardware design.

Abstract: Emulating a computer run time environment including: storing translated code in blocks of a translated code cache, each block of the translated code cache designated for storage of translated code for a separate one of the target executable processes, including identifying each block in dependence upon an identifier of the process for which the block is designated as storage; executing by the emulation environment a particular one of the target executable processes, using for target code translation the translated code in the block of the translated code cache designated as storage for the particular process; and upon encountering a context switch by the target operating system to execution of a new target executable process, changing from the block designated for the particular process to using for target code translation the translated code in the block of the translated code cache designated as storage for the new target executable process.

Abstract: Emulating a computer run time environment as a component of a dynamic binary translation loop that translates target executable code compiled for execution on a target computer to code executable on a host computer of a kind other than the target computer, the target executable code including function calls to functions to be translated. Embodiments of the present invention include: determining, upon encountering in the binary translation loop a function call to a function to be translated, that the function call is a call to a host library function in a host native library; hashing a target executable image of the function to be translated from the target executable code, thereby producing a hash value; and using the hash value as an index to retrieve from a thunk table a host native address of the host library function in the host native library.

Abstract: A method for allowing simultaneous parameter-driven and deterministic simulation during verification of a hardware design, comprising: enabling a plurality of random parameter-driven commands from a random command generator to execute in a simulation environment during verification of the hardware design through a command managing device; and enabling a plurality of deterministic commands from a manually-driven testcase port to execute in the simulation environment simultaneously with the plurality of random parameter-driven commands during verification of the hardware design through the command managing device, the plurality of deterministic commands and the plurality of random parameter-driven commands each verify the functionality of the hardware design.