Readme file updated: added info about simulation setups.

README.md

@@ -116,9 +116,11 @@ The XML code below shows a typic configuration:
 <simulation>
 
     <simconfig>
-        <Debug value="1" />
-        <DatabaseRecording value="1" />
-        <PowerAnalysis value="1" />
+        <Debug value="1"/>
+        <DatabaseRecording value="1"/>
+        <PowerAnalysis value="1"/>
+        <NumberOfTracePlayers value="5"/>
+        <NumberOfMemChannels value="1"/>
     </simconfig>
 
     <memspecs>
@@ -134,7 +136,16 @@ The XML code below shows a typic configuration:
     </memconfigs>
     
     <tracesetups>
+        <!-- Multiple trace setups are allowed for the same simulation setup -->
         <tracesetup id="fifo">
+            <!--
+            Specify here a trace file for each of the trace players. Trace
+            players without a file will not generate transactions.
+            It is also possible to choose "cklMhz" and the "bl" for every
+            player.
+            -->
+            <device clkMhz="200">voco2.stl</device>
+            <device clkMhz="200">voco2.stl</device>
             <device clkMhz="200">voco2.stl</device>
         </tracesetup>
     </tracesetups>
@@ -150,6 +161,34 @@ The XML configuration files are parsed by the program and the configuration
 details extracted are assigned to the correspondent attributes of the internal
 configuration structure.
 
+#### Simulation Setups
+
+Every possible combination of **memory specification**, **address mapping**
+and **memory configuration** corresponds to a **simulation setup**.
+
+Each of the **trace setups** listed in the configuration is added to every
+simulation setup.
+
+A **trace setup** is composed of an id string and one or more **devices**.
+
+A **device** configuration consists of two configuration fields - clkMhz
+(operation frequence for this device) and bl (burst length) - and a
+**trace file**.
+
+A **trace file** is a pre-recorded file containing memory transactions. All
+memory transactions have a timestamp that tells the simulator when they shall
+happen, a transaction type (e.g.: read, write) and a memory address.
+
+A **trace player** is the **equivalent** to bus master **device**, i.e. a
+device that locks a bus and generates memory transactions. The **device**
+section within a **trace setup** makes it is possible to add a trace file, and
+specify the operation frequence and the burst length as well, for each of the
+trace players. Trace players without a corresponding device configuration will
+not generate transactions.
+
+**DRAMSys** executes all the simulation setups within the configuration file
+providing **flexibility** for **exhaustive explorations.**
+
 #### Configuration File Sections
 
 The main configuration file is divided into self-contained sections, each of
@@ -168,6 +207,10 @@ Below are listed the configuration sections and configuration fields.
   - *PowerAnalysis* (boolean)
     - "1": enables live power analysis with the DRAMPower tool
     - "0": disables power analysis
+  - *NumberOfTracePlayers* (unsigned int)
+    - Number of trace players
+  - *NumberOfMemChannels* (unsigned int)
+    - Number of memory channels
 
 - **Memory specification**
 
@@ -265,10 +308,15 @@ Below are listed the configuration sections and configuration fields.
 - **Trace setups**
   - *id* (string)
     - Trace setup id. Two files are generated by DRAMSys: an SQLite database
-      file ".tdb" and a text file ".txt" containing the program output. The
+      file (.tdb) and a text file (.txt) containing the program output. The
       name of these files comes from this field.
   - *clkMhz*
     - Speed of the trace player
+  - *bl*
+    - Burst length
+  - *trace file*
+    - A pre-recorded file containing memory transactions to be executed by a
+      trace player.
 
 Some attributes are self-explanatory while others require some previous
 knowhow of memory technologies or some knowledge of the simulator source code.