Use of simulation methods as a design tool in the development of an ESM processing system

The simulation of systems using software models is a widely used technique for the reduction of design risk. This technique provides a means by which system performance characteristics may be predicted and investigated before major design and financial commitments are made. The simulation of an electronic support measures processing system containing very-high-speed hardware and a minicomputer running complex software is described. Within the system, critical hardware interactions occur at intervals of less than 10 ns, and some software analysis algorithms require several seconds to complete. Conventional simulation methods are very difficult to apply to the simulation of software when the effects of hardware interrupts must also be considered, unless all software functions are simulated to machine-cycle detail. The adopted technique allows the simulation of software algorithms in blocks, and removes the need to analyse the algorithms to machine-cycle detail. This method retains the ability to model realistically the effect of hardware interrupts on software performance. Some results obtained from the simulation of the ESM processing system are presented.