A loosely-coupled graphical user interface for run-time control of systemc simulation models

Modern hardware development bases on high-level methods with appropriate tool support. SystemC, a C++ class library, provides a high-level interface to model and simulate hardware designs on different levels. Unfortunately, there is no graphical interface included for demonstration, debugging, or educational purposes. gSysC presented here forms a GUI for SystemC. It allows the programmer to watch the interaction of the simulated design parts and provides additional run-time control features such as single-step simulation or breakpoints. The application of gSysC to SystemC models is demonstrated using some examples. Further on, the overhead of gSysC applied to a selection of the example designs is measured and compared to the model complexity.