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, 67 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/src/SConscript b/src/SConscript
index ef729cb33..8fe22d9ec 100755
--- a/src/SConscript
+++ b/src/SConscript
@@ -579,6 +579,18 @@ def createSimObjectParamStruct(target, source, env):
     obj.cxx_param_decl(code)
     code.write(target[0].abspath)
 
+def createSimObjectCxxConfig(is_header):
+    def body(target, source, env):
+        assert len(target) == 1 and len(source) == 1
+
+        name = str(source[0].get_contents())
+        obj = sim_objects[name]
+
+        code = code_formatter()
+        obj.cxx_config_param_file(code, is_header)
+        code.write(target[0].abspath)
+    return body
+
 def createParamSwigWrapper(target, source, env):
     assert len(target) == 1 and len(source) == 1
 
@@ -644,6 +656,61 @@ for name,simobj in sorted(sim_objects.iteritems()):
     env.Depends(hh_file, depends + extra_deps)
     env.Depends(SWIG, hh_file)
 
+# C++ parameter description files
+if GetOption('with_cxx_config'):
+    for name,simobj in sorted(sim_objects.iteritems()):
+        py_source = PySource.modules[simobj.__module__]
+        extra_deps = [ py_source.tnode ]
+
+        cxx_config_hh_file = File('cxx_config/%s.hh' % name)
+        cxx_config_cc_file = File('cxx_config/%s.cc' % name)
+        env.Command(cxx_config_hh_file, Value(name),
+                    MakeAction(createSimObjectCxxConfig(True),
+                    Transform("CXXCPRHH")))
+        env.Command(cxx_config_cc_file, Value(name),
+                    MakeAction(createSimObjectCxxConfig(False),
+                    Transform("CXXCPRCC")))
+        env.Depends(cxx_config_hh_file, depends + extra_deps +
+                    [File('params/%s.hh' % name), File('sim/cxx_config.hh')])
+        env.Depends(cxx_config_cc_file, depends + extra_deps +
+                    [cxx_config_hh_file])
+        Source(cxx_config_cc_file)
+
+    cxx_config_init_cc_file = File('cxx_config/init.cc')
+
+    def createCxxConfigInitCC(target, source, env):
+        assert len(target) == 1 and len(source) == 1
+
+        code = code_formatter()
+
+        for name,simobj in sorted(sim_objects.iteritems()):
+            if not hasattr(simobj, 'abstract') or not simobj.abstract:
+                code('#include "cxx_config/${name}.hh"')
+        code()
+        code('void cxxConfigInit()')
+        code('{')
+        code.indent()
+        for name,simobj in sorted(sim_objects.iteritems()):
+            not_abstract = not hasattr(simobj, 'abstract') or \
+                not simobj.abstract
+            if not_abstract and 'type' in simobj.__dict__:
+                code('cxx_config_directory["${name}"] = '
+                     '${name}CxxConfigParams::makeDirectoryEntry();')
+        code.dedent()
+        code('}')
+        code.write(target[0].abspath)
+
+    py_source = PySource.modules[simobj.__module__]
+    extra_deps = [ py_source.tnode ]
+    env.Command(cxx_config_init_cc_file, Value(name),
+        MakeAction(createCxxConfigInitCC, Transform("CXXCINIT")))
+    cxx_param_hh_files = ["cxx_config/%s.hh" % simobj
+        for simobj in sorted(sim_objects.itervalues())
+        if not hasattr(simobj, 'abstract') or not simobj.abstract]
+    Depends(cxx_config_init_cc_file, cxx_param_hh_files +
+            [File('sim/cxx_config.hh')])
+    Source(cxx_config_init_cc_file)
+
 # Generate any needed param SWIG wrapper files
 params_i_files = []
 for name,param in params_to_swig.iteritems():