Symbolic debug interface for register transfer simulator debugger

A system for simulating execution of a machine code binary having a number of instructions compiled from a high level computer language having a number of instructions, comprising:

• a simulator for simulating execution of said machine code binary;
• means for providing a computer machine language representation that correspond to the machine code binary;
• a translator for providing a translation between an instruction position in said high level computer language, a corresponding instruction or set of instructions in said computer machine language representation, and a corresponding instruction or set of instructions in said machine code binary;
• a message receiver for receiving externally generated commands for said simulator;
• and
• a command processor for accepting said received externally generated commands and providing said externally generated commands to said simulator.

A method for interactively simulating execution of an executable machine code binary having internal locations compiled from a higher level computer-language having internal locations, the method comprising:

• providing a simulator-debugger for interactively simulating execution of the machine code binary;
• providing a first computer display region for displaying simulated execution of the high level computer language;
• providing a second computer display region for displaying simulated execution of a computer machine language representation that corresponds to the machine code binary, said computer machine language also having internal locations;
• providing a communication channel between said first and second computer display regions and said simulator-debugger;
• sending commands related to a particular computer machine language internal location from said second computer display region to said simulator-debugger;
• determining a high level computer language internal location corresponding to said particular computer machine language location;
• sending responses to said commands relating to said corresponding high level computer language internal location from said simulator debugger to said first high level computer language display region;
• and
• changing said displayed high level computer language region in response to said responses to said commands.

A method for interactively simulating execution of executable machine code binary having internal locations comprising:

• providing a simulator-debugger for interactively simulating execution of the machine code binary on a first computer;
• providing a first interactive computer display region for displaying and controlling simulated execution of a high level computer language having internal locations, the machine code binary being compiled from the high level computer language;
• providing a second interactive computer display region for displaying simulated execution of a computer machine language representation of the machine code binary, said computer machine language representations having internal locations;
• providing a communication channel between said first and second computer display regions and said simulator-debugger;
• sending commands related to said high level computer language location from said first computer display region to said simulator-debugger;
• determining a computer machine language representation location that corresponds to said high level computer language location;
• sending responses to said commands relating to said corresponding computer machine language representation location from said simulator debugger to said second computer display region;
• and
• changing said second computer display region in response to said sent responses.