Hybrid-DBT: Hardware/Software Dynamic Binary Translation Targeting VLIW

Abstract

In order to provide dynamic adaptation of the performance/energy tradeoff, systems today rely on heterogeneous multicore architectures (different micro-architectures on a chip). These systems are limited to single-ISA approaches to enable transparent migration between the different cores. To offer more tradeoff, we can integrate statically scheduled micro-architecture and use dynamic binary translation (DBT) for task migration. However, in a system where performance and energy consumption are a prime concern, the translation overhead has to be kept as low as possible. In this paper, we present Hybrid-DBT, an open-source, hardware accelerated DBT system targeting VLIW cores. Three different hardware accelerators have been designed to speed-up critical steps of the translation process. Experimental study shows that the accelerated steps are two orders of magnitude faster than their software equivalent. The impact on the total execution time of applications and the quality of generated binaries are also measured.