On reverse engineering

A suggested approach to the process of reverse engineering is presented from a tutorial viewpoint. Reverse engineering is considered as the process of developing a set of specifications for a complex hardware system by an orderly examination of specimens of that system. It is assumed that the specifications are being developed for the purpose of making a clone of the original hardware system, a circumstance which requires the most comprehensive form of specifications. Document formats are described for recording information and data in the reverse engineering process that are synergistic with the method recommended for use in guiding that process. The documentation suggested directs the reverse engineering process that uncovers the information which is recorded in the documents. A reverse engineering method is described that is based on the premise that a complex hardware system can be characterized as a hierarchical structure. The key feature of this method is that when it is applied to a specific level in the hardware structural hierarchy, it is used to uncover the internal particulars of a specific item of that level in terms of the elements located in the immediately subordinate level and how those elements are interconnected.