Last updated on March 1, 2024

SystemC 00 Basic

SystemC Class Library Structure

Terms	Description
Method	A C++ method, i.e. a member function of a class.
Module	A structural entity, which can contain processes, ports, channels, and other modules. Modules allow expressing structural hierarchy. Module is the principle structural building block of SystemC, used to repsent a component in real systems.
Process	A special kind of member function of a sc_module class, registered to the SystemC simulation kernel and called only by the simulation Kernel.
Interface	An interface provides a set of method declarations, but provides no method implementations and no data fields.
Channel	A channel implements one or more interfaces, and serves as a container for communication functionality.
Port	A port is an object through which a module can access a channel’s interface. But modules can also access a channel’s interface directly.
Event	A process can suspend on, or be sensitive to, one or more events. Events allow for resuming and activating processes.
Sensitivity	The sensitivity of a process defines when this process will be resumed or activated. A process can be sensitive to a set of events. Whenever one of the corresponding events is triggered, the process is resumed or activated.

Module A is a top level module (component). It has two sub-modules (module b and module c), a channel (c1), and a simulation process (P). Module A also has one input port (p0) and two output ports (p4, p7).
Module A receives input via port p0, and writes output via ports p4 and p7
Module b has two simulation processes (X and Y), an event (e), an input port (p1), and two output ports (p2, p3)
Within module b, processes X and Y are connected through event e.
Module b connected to module A via ports p0 and p1.
Module b also connects to process P of module A via port p3.
Module c has two simulation processes (M and N), an input port (p5), and an output port (p6)
Within module c, processes M and N are connected through channel c.
Module b is connected to module c via channel c1 (ports p2 and p5 bound to c1).
Module c connected to module A via ports p6 and p7.

sc_main() is the entrying point of an SystemC application. Before and after sc_start() is normal C++ code.
Upon reaching sc_start(), SystemC simulation kernel takes over the scheduling of processes. It returns until a specified simulation time has elapsed, no more actions pending, or sc_stop() is called by any of the process.

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