Computing System Descriptions for Systems Software

The proliferation of high-performance microprocessors in recent years has made the development of systems software, such as compilers, assemblers, linkers, debuggers, simulators, and other related tools, more challenging than ever. When a new processor is introduced, each of these applications must be rewritten or retargeted to the new machine. This paper describes a description system, called CSDL, that permits the specification--in a concise, easily understood notation--of all aspects of a computing system that must be known in order to automate the construction of high-quality systems software. Unlike past machine description languages, and as the term computing system indicates, this new description system spans the boundary between hardware and software. CSDL descriptions are modular and extensible, providing a flexible system for specifying computing system information that can be shared among many different applications

Bailey, Mark, and Jack Davidson. "Computing System Descriptions for Systems Software." University of Virginia Dept. of Computer Science Tech Report (1995).