Prototyping of a Virtual Computer Simulator “VCOM” for Learning Microprogram

Abstract

It is very important for understanding computer behavior in details to acquire knowledge about both hardware and software. As for learning about hardware, it is difficult to directly observe the behavior and the internal status because hardware device is generally constructed as a black box. To solve this learning problem, software simulators are often used. This paper describes the prototyping of a virtual computer simulator called “VCOM” for learning microprogram which is a method to realize control unit. VCOM mainly visualizes control memory which stores microprogram and control signals generated from the control memory. This paper reports the design and implementation of VCOM, the system features, and the utilization to a lecture.