Experiences Constructing a Lightweight SPARC Interpreter for a Dynamic Binary Translator

摘要

Dynamic binary translation is an important area for compiler research, because additional information available at runtime can substantially improve the effectiveness of optimizations. The difficulty lies in creating a system capable of gathering runtime information without slowing down the running executable. Several such systems have been created 'Dynamo, DynamoRIO, FX(exclamation point)32, etc.', but their use presents several problems to the researcher. They are either closed or proprietary, and are often tied to a very specific platform. In this paper we discuss the design of a new, open, cross-platform dynamic binary translation system, SIND. Specifically we discuss the design in general terms, and then focus on the specific implementation of a lightweight interpreter for the SPARC architecture. We explore the many issues involved in building a self-bootstrapping efficient interpreter.