config: Add the ability to read a config file using C++ and Python

This patch adds the ability to load in config.ini files generated from
gem5 into another instance of gem5 built without Python configuration
support. The intended use case is for configuring gem5 when it is a
library embedded in another simulation system.

A parallel config file reader is also provided purely in Python to
demonstrate the approach taken and to provided similar functionality
for as-yet-unknown use models. The Python configuration file reader
can read both .ini and .json files.

C++ configuration file reading:

A command line option has been added for scons to enable C++ configuration
file reading: --with-cxx-config

There is an example in util/cxx_config that shows C++ configuration in action.
util/cxx_config/README explains how to build the example.

Configuration is achieved by the object CxxConfigManager. It handles
reading object descriptions from a CxxConfigFileBase object which
wraps a config file reader. The wrapper class CxxIniFile is provided
which wraps an IniFile for reading .ini files. Reading .json files
from C++ would be possible with a similar wrapper and a JSON parser.

After reading object descriptions, CxxConfigManager creates
SimObjectParam-derived objects from the classes in the (generated with this
patch) directory build/ARCH/cxx_config

CxxConfigManager can then build SimObjects from those SimObjectParams (in an
order dictated by the SimObject-value parameters on other objects) and bind
ports of the produced SimObjects.

A minimal set of instantiate-replacing member functions are provided by
CxxConfigManager and few of the member functions of SimObject (such as drain)
are extended onto CxxConfigManager.

Python configuration file reading (configs/example/read_config.py):

A Python version of the reader is also supplied with a similar interface to
CxxConfigFileBase (In Python: ConfigFile) to config file readers.

The Python config file reading will handle both .ini and .json files.

The object construction strategy is slightly different in Python from the C++
reader as you need to avoid objects prematurely becoming the children of other
objects when setting parameters.

Port binding also needs to be strictly in the same port-index order as the
original instantiation.

1 files changed, 3 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 1078a3e96..8fb649143 100755
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -173,6 +173,9 @@ AddLocalOption('--colors', dest='use_colors', action='store_true',
                help="Add color to abbreviated scons output")
 AddLocalOption('--no-colors', dest='use_colors', action='store_false',
                help="Don't add color to abbreviated scons output")
+AddLocalOption('--with-cxx-config', dest='with_cxx_config',
+               action='store_true',
+               help="Build with support for C++-based configuration")
 AddLocalOption('--default', dest='default', type='string', action='store',
                help='Override which build_opts file to use for defaults')
 AddLocalOption('--ignore-style', dest='ignore_style', action='store_true',