Assembler to C migration using the FermaT transformation system

Author

Ward, M.P.

Author_Institution

Mountjoy Res. Centre, Software Migrations Ltd, Durham, UK

fYear

1999

fDate

1999

Firstpage

67

Lastpage

76

Abstract

The FermaT transformation system, based on research carried out over the last twelve years (1987-99) at Durham University and Software Migrations Ltd., is an industrial-strength formal transformation engine with many applications in program comprehension and language migration. The paper describes one application of the system: the migration of IBM 370 Assembler code to equivalent, maintainable C code. We present an example of using the tool to migrate a small, but complex, assembler module to C with no manual intervention required. We briefly discuss a mass migration exercise where 1925 assembler modules were successfully migrated to C code

Keywords

C language; assembly language; program interpreters; reverse engineering; software maintenance; FermaT transformation system; IBM 370 Assembler code; assembler module; assembler modules; assembler to C migration; formal transformation engine; language migration; maintainable C code; mass migration exercise; program comprehension; Assembly systems; Control systems; Costs; Engines; Environmental economics; Logic; Programming; Reverse engineering; Software maintenance; Software systems;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Software Maintenance, 1999. (ICSM '99) Proceedings. IEEE International Conference on

Conference_Location

Oxford

ISSN

1063-6773

Print_ISBN

0-7695-0016-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICSM.1999.792571

Filename

792571