MicroSim, an EDA hands-on approach.
The project aims to develop an educational tool named MicroSim, designed specifically for students and teachers engaged in the field of computer architecture. MicroSim seeks to provide an intuitive interface that enables users to visualize, test, and design digital systems, ranging from simple circuits to complex architectures. By focusing on fundamental concepts rather than the intricacies of specific software tools, MicroSim enhances the learning experience, allowing users to grasp essential principles without having to bother with technical details. Additionally, the tool is designed with the foresight of evolving over time, ensuring it remains relevant and beneficial as educational needs and technologies change.
Installing Companion Worker
For Ubuntu or other Debian-based system, you can find a configuration toolkit here. Feel free to follow the step by step installation guide below.
📦 Step 1: Install Docker using apt on Ubuntu or other Debian-based system
If you are using another distribution, please refer to official documetation.
# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo \
"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | \
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update
🐋 Step 2: Install the Docker packages.
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
🚀 Step 3: Launch docker without sudo
sudo groupadd docker
sudo gpasswd -a $USER docker
newgrp docker
✅ Step 4: Verify Correct setup
docker run hello-world
If everything went well it shall display. If not, you might have to reboot your computer for the changes to take action.
Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.
To generate this message, Docker took the following steps:
1. The Docker client contacted the Docker daemon.
2. The Docker daemon pulled the "hello-world" image from the Docker Hub.
(amd64)
3. The Docker daemon created a new container from that image which runs the
executable that produces the output you are currently reading.
4. The Docker daemon streamed that output to the Docker client, which sent it
to your terminal.
To try something more ambitious, you can run an Ubuntu container with:
$ docker run -it ubuntu bash
Share images, automate workflows, and more with a free Docker ID:
https://hub.docker.com/
For more examples and ideas, visit:
https://docs.docker.com/get-started/
📥 Step 5: Download MicroSim Ceram worker
docker pull adammalaoui/microsim-ceram
You can check if it has been successfully installed:
docker images
There shall be this container available:
REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZE
adammalaoui/microsim-ceram latest - - 6.47GB
In order to be able to export your design on physical hardware, copy this udev rule to /etc/udev/rules.d
Note: might need to have sudo rights.
sudo cp 60-openocd.rules /etc/udev/rules.d
Then either restart your machine, or apply changes this way:
sudo udevadm control --reload
sudo udevadm trigger
🎉 Step 7: Have fun!
You might want to check out some example. A demo set can be found here.
git clone https://github.com/adamm-alaoui/MicroSim-Demos.git
cd MicroSim-Demos
code .
For instructions on launching the worker container, refer to the MicroSim lifecycle section below.
MicroSim lifecycle
Before starting opening any .usim files, launch the rule MicroSim: Boostrap Worker Container by opening command palette (ctrl+shift+P) any start type it.
On exit, launch the rule MicroSim: Shutdown Worker Container in the same way.
Dependancies
This project uses the wellen library compiled to WASM for file parsing and back-end data management.
Futhermore, it also embed a modified version of the vaporview VCD viewer provided by Lloyd Ramseyer. By this mean, I would like to thank him for this outstanding tool that he developped on his own.
Finally, it leverages the tool suites provided by the oss-cad-tools as a basis to simulate and export on FPGA.
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Dr. Ties Kluter forgraciously accepting to supervise my research and for his invaluable guidance and encouragement throughout this initial phase of my project. His expertise and mentorship have been instrumental in shaping the direction of my work.
I am also deeply appreciative of the support and collaboration of the entire team, including the dedicated staff, researchers, master's students, and PhD candidates, whose contributions and insights have greatly enriched my understanding and progress. Your willingness to share your knowledge and provide assistance has made this experience both productive and inspiring.
Thank you all for being an integral part of this journey so far.
