Dynamic Binary Translation - a Model-Driven Approach

Dynamic Binary Translation (DBT) is a technique used to allow execution of non-native machine code. It is an extensively explored research topic and lately it is being given much attention due to the increased demand for system virtual machines. This paper describes a DBT process model, which has been succesfully implemented on a 6502 emulator for x86_64 machines. Among other objectives, the model was conceived to allow the use of an existing interpreter core to implement a DBT-enabled one. Our preliminary results indicates that even a DBT scheme with no runtime information optimizations can lead to performance gain, at the same time saving the effort of implementing instruction code by reusing existing interpreter code.