ruby: Expose MessageBuffers as SimObjects

Expose MessageBuffers from SLICC controllers as SimObjects that can be
manipulated in Python. This patch has numerous benefits:
1) First and foremost, it exposes MessageBuffers as SimObjects that can be
manipulated in Python code. This allows parameters to be set and checked in
Python code to avoid obfuscating parameters within protocol files. Further, now
as SimObjects, MessageBuffer parameters are printed to config output files as a
way to track parameters across simulations (e.g. buffer sizes)

2) Cleans up special-case code for responseFromMemory buffers, and aligns their
instantiation and use with mandatoryQueue buffers. These two special buffers
are the only MessageBuffers that are exposed to components outside of SLICC
controllers, and they're both slave ends of these buffers. They should be
exposed outside of SLICC in the same way, and this patch does it.

3) Distinguishes buffer-specific parameters from buffer-to-network parameters.
Specifically, buffer size, randomization, ordering, recycle latency, and ports
are all specific to a MessageBuffer, while the virtual network ID and type are
intrinsics of how the buffer is connected to network ports. The former are
specified in the Python object, while the latter are specified in the
controller *.sm files. Unlike buffer-specific parameters, which may need to
change depending on the simulated system structure, buffer-to-network
parameters can be specified statically for most or all different simulated
systems.

1 files changed, 6 insertions, 13 deletions

diff --git a/src/mem/ruby/slicc_interface/AbstractController.cc b/src/mem/ruby/slicc_interface/AbstractController.cc
index dfcd61ab2..6bc5a9b96 100644
--- a/src/mem/ruby/slicc_interface/AbstractController.cc
+++ b/src/mem/ruby/slicc_interface/AbstractController.cc
@@ -41,16 +41,8 @@ AbstractController::AbstractController(const Params *p)
       m_number_of_TBEs(p->number_of_TBEs),
       m_transitions_per_cycle(p->transitions_per_cycle),
       m_buffer_size(p->buffer_size), m_recycle_latency(p->recycle_latency),
-      memoryPort(csprintf("%s.memory", name()), this, ""),
-      m_responseFromMemory_ptr(new MessageBuffer())
+      memoryPort(csprintf("%s.memory", name()), this, "")
 {
-    // Set the sender pointer of the response message buffer from the
-    // memory controller.
-    // This pointer is used for querying for the current time.
-    m_responseFromMemory_ptr->setSender(this);
-    m_responseFromMemory_ptr->setReceiver(this);
-    m_responseFromMemory_ptr->setOrdering(false);
-
     if (m_version == 0) {
         // Combine the statistics from all controllers
         // of this particular type.
@@ -68,6 +60,9 @@ AbstractController::init()
         m_delayVCHistogram.push_back(new Stats::Histogram());
         m_delayVCHistogram[i]->init(10);
     }
+    if (getMemoryQueue()) {
+        getMemoryQueue()->setSender(this);
+    }
 }
 
 void
@@ -298,9 +293,6 @@ AbstractController::functionalMemoryWrite(PacketPtr pkt)
 {
     int num_functional_writes = 0;
 
-    // Check the message buffer that runs from the memory to the controller.
-    num_functional_writes += m_responseFromMemory_ptr->functionalWrite(pkt);
-
     // Check the buffer from the controller to the memory.
     if (memoryPort.checkFunctional(pkt)) {
         num_functional_writes++;
@@ -314,6 +306,7 @@ AbstractController::functionalMemoryWrite(PacketPtr pkt)
 void
 AbstractController::recvTimingResp(PacketPtr pkt)
 {
+    assert(getMemoryQueue());
     assert(pkt->isResponse());
 
     std::shared_ptr<MemoryMsg> msg = std::make_shared<MemoryMsg>(clockEdge());
@@ -338,7 +331,7 @@ AbstractController::recvTimingResp(PacketPtr pkt)
         panic("Incorrect packet type received from memory controller!");
     }
 
-    m_responseFromMemory_ptr->enqueue(msg);
+    getMemoryQueue()->enqueue(msg);
     delete pkt;
 }