Unified Cache Modeling for WCET Analysis and Layout Optimizations

Presence of instruction and data caches in processors create lack of predictability in execution timings. Hard real-time systems require absolute guarantees about execution time, and hence the timing effects of caches need to be modeled while estimating the Worst-case Execution Time (WCET) of a program. In this work, we consider the modeling of a generic cache architecture which is most common in commercial processors --- separate instruction and data caches in the first level and a unified cache in the second level (which houses code as well as data). Our modeling is used to develop a timing analysis method built on top of the Chronos WCET analysis tool. Moreover we use our unified cache modeling to develop WCET-driven code and data layout optimizations --- where the code and data layout are optimized {\em simultaneously} for reducing WCET.