mips-cpu - A MIPS CPU written in Verilog
An implementation of a MIPS CPU written in Verilog. This project is in very early stages and currently only implements the most basic functionality of a MIPS CPU.
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32-bit MIPS processor
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implemented in Verilog
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5 stage pipeline
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static branch not taken branch predictor
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branch detection in decode (stage 2)
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supports stalls to avoid read after write (RAW) and other hazards
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can forward from memory (stage 4) and write back (stage 5) to avoid stalls
Much of the design was inspired by the book "Computer Organization and Design" by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy (4th ed. 2008).
This project also includes a full set of test benches. These are invaluable as a quick check to verify that new changes have not disrupted previously working functionality.
This project requires a Verilog simulator, such as Icarus,
the Gcc compiler, and a Gcc MIPS cross compiler. To check if your
system has the required programs installed run the check-install.sh
script.
$ ./check-install.sh
Checking for required programs...
mips-linux-gnu-objcopy
mips-linux-gnu-as
iverilog
Please install the missing programs and retry.
The tests are located in the verilog/test/ directory. Everything is
built and run using the make command.
make
There are two parts to each test: the Verilog code, and the assembly
code. The Verilog code uses a generic CPU test bench (cpu_tb.v) from
which a specific test is built using a specific assembled .hex file.
The .hex file is produced by assembling the .asm file using the Gcc MIPS
cross compiler and converting it to ASCII hex suitable for use with
Verilog. Then the Verilog code, using a simulator such as
Icarus Verilog, can be run to execute the assembly
instructions and produce a dump of its output (.out). Finally, the
output file (.out) can be diffed against a known good output file
(.check) to see if there are any differences.
For more information about these steps refer the Makefile in verilog/test/.
Jeremiah Mahler jmmahler@gmail.com
http://github.com/jmahler
Copyright © 2015, Jeremiah Mahler. All Rights Reserved.
This project is free software and released under
the GNU General Public License.