v0.2.2

🚀 VMIPS Rust v0.2.2 - CI/CD Modernization & Code Quality

📅 Release Date

August 22, 2025

🎯 Overview

This release focuses on modernizing the CI/CD infrastructure and ensuring code quality standards while maintaining full backward compatibility. All existing functionality is preserved with improved reliability and maintainability.

🔧 Major Improvements

CI/CD Infrastructure Modernization

• Deprecated Actions Removed: Updated from actions-rs/* to modern alternatives
• GitHub Actions Updated: All workflows now use latest action versions
  • actions/checkout@v4 for better performance
  • actions/cache@v4 for improved caching
  • dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable for reliable Rust installation
• Modern Release Workflow: Switched to softprops/action-gh-release@v1
• Fixed Deprecated Commands: Replaced set-output with GITHUB_OUTPUT

Version Consistency & Documentation

• Unified Version References: All files now consistently reference v0.2.2
• Updated README: Latest release badge and documentation improvements
• Enhanced Documentation: Clearer installation and usage instructions

Code Quality Enhancements

• Clippy Warnings Addressed: Fixed major code quality issues
  • Manual range contains implementation → Modern range syntax
  • Needless range loops → Iterator-based approaches
  • Improved error handling patterns
• Code Formatting: Applied rustfmt corrections for consistency
• Build Improvements: Clean compilation with no errors

✅ Testing & Quality Assurance

Comprehensive Testing

• 47 Tests Passing: All unit, integration, property, and functional tests
• 8 Examples Verified: All educational examples working correctly
• Performance Maintained: Benchmarks meet specified requirements
  • Functional simulator: ~1M instructions/second
  • Timing simulator: ~100K cycles/second

Verified Functionality

• Functional Simulation: All MIPS32 instructions working correctly
• Timing Simulation: Pipeline visualization and cycle-accurate modeling
• Assembler: MIPS assembly to machine code conversion
• Examples: Fibonacci, bubble sort, matrix operations, and more

📦 What's Included

Core Features (Unchanged)

• 64+ MIPS32 Instructions: Complete instruction set support
• Dual Simulation Modes: Functional and timing simulation
• Advanced Features: Tomasulo's algorithm, branch prediction, cache simulation
• Educational Tools: 8 comprehensive examples and tutorials
• Modern CLI: Comprehensive command-line interface with full options

Supported Platforms

• Linux: vmips_rust-linux-amd64
• Windows: vmips_rust-windows-amd64.exe
• macOS: vmips_rust-macos-amd64

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Download the appropriate binary for your platform from the assets below
# Make it executable (Linux/macOS)
chmod +x vmips_rust-*

# Run functional simulation
./vmips_rust functional --help

# Run timing simulation with visualization
./vmips_rust timing --visualize --max-cycles 1000
Building from Source
git clone https://github.com/muditbhargava66/vmips-simulator.git
cd vmips-simulator
cargo build --release
cargo test --all  # Verify installation

📚 Examples

Try the educational examples:
cargo run --example fibonacci    # Calculate Fibonacci numbers
cargo run --example bubble_sort  # Sorting algorithm demonstration
cargo run --example factorial    # Factorial calculation
cargo run --example matrix_multiply  # Matrix operations

🔍 Technical Details

Dependencies

• Rust: 1.56+ (stable toolchain)
• Libraries: clap, serde, log, env_logger, colored, rand
• Development Tools: clippy, rustfmt, criterion

Performance Specifications

• Memory Support: Configurable 1KB-1GB
• Instruction Throughput: 1M+ instructions/second (functional)
• Timing Accuracy: Cycle-accurate with 100K+ cycles/second
• Cache Simulation: Configurable L1/L2 hierarchy

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed compilation errors in assembler module
• Resolved GitHub Actions workflow failures
• Corrected version inconsistencies across documentation
• Improved error handling in various components

🔮 What's Next

• Enhanced floating-point operations
• Additional MIPS instruction extensions
• Improved visualization capabilities
• Performance optimizations

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please check our issues page and contributing guidelines.

📄 Documentation

• README
• Examples
• Architecture Guide

v0.2.1

VMIPS Rust Simulator v0.2.1 Release Notes

🚀 Release Highlights

VMIPS Rust Simulator v0.2.1 is a significant enhancement release focused on improving error handling, algorithm support, and educational visualization. This version builds upon the solid foundation of v0.2.0 with production-ready code quality and enhanced user experience.

✨ What's New

🛡️ Enhanced Error Handling System

• Comprehensive Error Types: New SimulatorError enum with specific error variants
• Memory Safety: Bounds checking, alignment validation, and overflow protection
• Graceful Error Recovery: Improved error reporting and debugging information
• Production Ready: Robust error handling for real-world usage

🎯 Advanced Algorithm Support Foundation

• Loop Detection: New LoopDetector module for identifying and analyzing loop patterns
• Register Analysis: RegisterAllocator module for optimizing register usage
• PC Management: Enhanced PcManager for robust program counter handling
• Branch Validation: Improved branch target calculation and validation

📊 Improved Pipeline Visualization

• Real-time Instruction Flow: Visualize how instructions progress through pipeline stages
• Multiple Output Formats: Support for Text, CSV, and JSON visualization formats
• Status Indicators: Clear indicators for pipeline stage status (Busy, Stalled, Flushed)
• Comprehensive Instruction Support: Enhanced visualization for all MIPS instruction types
• Educational Value: Better understanding of pipelined processor execution

🔧 Code Quality Improvements

• Clippy Compliance: Resolved all critical warnings for production-grade code
• Enhanced Documentation: Improved inline documentation and comments
• Better Organization: Cleaner module structure and separation of concerns
• Default Implementations: Added Default trait implementations where appropriate

🧪 Testing Enhancements

• Comprehensive Test Suite: 47 tests across 7 test suites
• Error Handling Tests: New dedicated test module with 8 specific test cases
• Edge Case Coverage: Expanded test coverage for robustness
• Visualization Testing: Verified pipeline visualization with various programs

📚 Educational Improvements

• Pipeline Visualization: Better understanding of instruction flow through pipeline
• Error Messages: More descriptive error messages for learning
• Algorithm Analysis: Foundation for understanding algorithm patterns
• Register Usage: Insights into register allocation and optimization

🔍 Bug Fixes

• Pipeline Visualization: Fixed empty pipeline stage display in timing simulator
• Branch Calculation: Corrected branch offset calculations for complex control flow
• Memory Access: Fixed potential memory access issues with bounds checking
• Division by Zero: Added protection against division by zero operations
• Instruction Flow: Corrected instruction progression through pipeline stages
• Missing Imports: Added required imports for pipeline visualization functionality

📦 Installation & Usage

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/muditbhargava66/vmips-simulator.git
cd vmips-simulator

# Build the project
cargo build --release

# Run with enhanced visualization
cargo run --bin vmips_rust timing --visualize --max-cycles 10

New Visualization Features

# Text format (default)
cargo run --bin vmips_rust timing --visualize

# CSV format for data analysis
cargo run --bin vmips_rust timing --visualize --format csv

# JSON format for programmatic access
cargo run --bin vmips_rust timing --visualize --format json

🔄 Migration from v0.2.0

For Users

• No Breaking Changes: All existing functionality continues to work
• Enhanced Experience: Better error messages and visualization
• Improved Performance: More efficient error handling

For Developers

• New Error System: Use SimulatorError enum for comprehensive error handling
• Enhanced Modules: New algorithm support modules available
• Better Testing: Expanded test coverage for reliability

📊 Performance Metrics

• Functional Simulator: ~1M instructions/second
• Timing Simulator: ~100K cycles/second with full visualization
• Memory Efficiency: Configurable from 1KB to 1GB
• Test Coverage: 47 tests with 100% critical path coverage
• Code Quality: All critical Clippy warnings resolved

🎯 Use Cases

Educational

• Computer Architecture Courses: Enhanced pipeline visualization for teaching
• Algorithm Analysis: Foundation for understanding algorithm patterns
• Performance Studies: Detailed metrics and error analysis

Research

• Processor Design: Advanced algorithm support foundation
• Performance Analysis: Comprehensive error handling and reporting
• Simulation Studies: Robust and reliable simulation platform

Development

• MIPS Development: Enhanced error detection and debugging
• Testing: Comprehensive test suite for validation
• Integration: Production-ready code quality

🔮 Looking Forward

v0.3.0 - Advanced Algorithm Support

• Function call support with stack management
• Advanced memory management (heap/stack)
• Nested loop support (up to 3 levels)
• Basic recursion support

v0.4.0 - Intelligent Execution

• Algorithm pattern recognition
• Runtime optimization engine
• Complex data structure support
• Performance analysis and suggestions

🙏 Acknowledgments

Thank you to all contributors and users who provided feedback for this release. Your input has been invaluable in making VMIPS Rust Simulator a better educational tool and research platform.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Download: GitHub Releases

Documentation: Getting Started Guide

Support: GitHub Issues

v0.2.0

VMIPS Rust v0.2.0 Release Notes

🎉 Major Release: Production-Ready MIPS Simulator

We're excited to announce VMIPS Rust v0.2.0, a major release that transforms this project into a production-ready, comprehensive MIPS processor simulator with advanced features for education and research.

🚀 What's New

Core Features Completed

✅ All TODO.md and ROADMAP.md tasks completed for v0.2.0

🔧 Enhanced CLI Experience

• Modern Command-Line Interface: Complete rewrite using clap with intuitive subcommands
• Flexible Input Options: Support for both assembly files and ELF binaries
• Configurable Parameters: Memory size, logging levels, visualization options
• Professional Help System: Comprehensive help messages and usage examples

# New CLI examples
vmips_rust functional --memory-size 16384 --log-level debug
vmips_rust timing --visualize --max-cycles 500 --elf --input program.elf

📁 ELF Binary Support

• Real Program Loading: Load actual MIPS ELF binaries compiled with GCC
• Proper Memory Layout: Handles program segments, entry points, and memory regions
• Cross-Platform: Works with MIPS binaries from various toolchains

📚 Comprehensive Documentation

• API Documentation: Complete API reference with examples (docs/api.md)
• Step-by-Step Tutorials: 9 detailed tutorials covering all major use cases (docs/tutorials.md)
• Architecture Guides: In-depth explanations of simulator components
• Performance Optimization: Guidelines for efficient simulation

🧪 Robust Testing Framework

• Property-Based Testing: Automated testing with proptest and quickcheck
• Edge Case Coverage: Comprehensive tests for boundary conditions
• Integration Tests: CLI functionality and end-to-end testing
• Performance Benchmarks: Criterion-based performance measurement

🏗️ Production Infrastructure

• Automated CI/CD: GitHub Actions with testing, linting, and releases
• Code Coverage: Automated coverage reporting with Codecov
• Cross-Platform Builds: Automatic binary generation for Linux, Windows, macOS
• Security Policy: Vulnerability reporting and response procedures

📊 Technical Achievements

Simulator Capabilities

• Complete MIPS Instruction Set: All major MIPS32 instructions supported
• Advanced Pipeline Simulation: 5-stage pipeline with hazard detection
• Out-of-Order Execution: Tomasulo algorithm implementation
• Branch Prediction: Multiple prediction strategies (static, 2-bit saturating)
• Cache Hierarchy: Configurable L1/L2 caches with realistic timing
• Floating-Point Unit: IEEE 754 compliant FPU simulation

Performance Features

• Visualization Engine: Real-time pipeline and cache visualization
• Statistical Analysis: CPI calculation, cache hit rates, branch prediction accuracy
• Configurable Timing: Adjustable latencies and pipeline parameters
• Memory Management: Virtual memory translation and TLB simulation

🎯 Use Cases

Educational Applications

• Computer Architecture Courses: Hands-on learning of processor design
• Performance Analysis: Understanding pipeline hazards and optimization
• Assembly Programming: MIPS assembly development and debugging

Research Applications

• Architecture Exploration: Testing new processor features
• Performance Modeling: Analyzing different design trade-offs
• Algorithm Optimization: Understanding code performance characteristics

📈 Quality Metrics

• Test Coverage: 35+ comprehensive tests across all components
• Code Quality: Clippy linting with zero warnings in release mode
• Documentation: 100% API coverage with examples
• Platform Support: Linux, Windows, macOS compatibility

🔄 Migration Guide

From v0.1.x

The CLI has been completely redesigned. Update your usage:

Old:

vmips_rust functional
vmips_rust timing

New:

vmips_rust functional --memory-size 8192
vmips_rust timing --visualize --max-cycles 1000

API Changes

• ELF loading functionality added to vmips_rust::elf_loader
• Enhanced error handling with proper Error trait implementations
• Improved memory management with bounds checking

🛠️ Installation

From Source

git clone https://github.com/muditbhargava66/vmips-simulator.git
cd vmips-simulator
cargo build --release

Pre-built Binaries

Download from GitHub Releases:

• vmips_rust-linux-amd64
• vmips_rust-windows-amd64.exe
• vmips_rust-macos-amd64

📖 Getting Started

1. Quick Start: Run the built-in test program

   vmips_rust functional

2. With Visualization: See the pipeline in action

   vmips_rust timing --visualize

3. Load Your Program: Use your own MIPS assembly or ELF files

   vmips_rust functional --input my_program.s
   vmips_rust timing --elf --input my_program.elf

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our comprehensive guides:

• CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
• docs/api.md - API documentation for developers
• docs/tutorials.md - Implementation examples

🔮 Future Roadmap

While v0.2.0 completes all planned features, future enhancements may include:

• Web-based interface for browser simulation
• RISC-V architecture support
• Advanced visualization with graphics
• Distributed simulation capabilities

🙏 Acknowledgments

This release represents a complete transformation of the VMIPS Rust simulator into a production-ready tool suitable for education, research, and development. Special thanks to all contributors and users who provided feedback during development.

📞 Support

• Documentation: Check docs/ directory for comprehensive guides
• Issues: Report bugs via GitHub Issues
• Security: See SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting
• Discussions: Join conversations in GitHub Discussions

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Download VMIPS Rust v0.2.0 today and experience the most comprehensive MIPS simulator available in Rust!

🔗 Links:

• GitHub Repository
• Release Downloads
• Documentation
• API Reference

v0.1.0

Full Changelog: https://github.com/muditbhargava66/vmips-simulator/commits/v0.1.0

v0.1.1

VMIPS Rust Simulator v0.1.1 Release Notes

We're excited to announce the release of VMIPS Rust Simulator v0.1.1, a significant update that enhances stability, performance, and instruction support.

Major Enhancements

• Expanded Instruction Support: Added support for 40+ MIPS instructions including LUI, ORI, MULT, MFLO, ADDIU, BNE, and JR
• Improved Simulator Stability: Fixed critical issues in both functional and timing simulators
• Enhanced Debugging Capabilities: Added detailed instruction tracing and execution tracking
• Better Test Coverage: Completely rewrote test suite for more reliable testing

Key Features

Functional Simulator

• Proper termination detection via NOP instructions
• Infinite loop prevention with maximum instruction limits
• Fixed branch and jump instruction handling
• Improved memory access and register operations

Timing Simulator

• Complete rewrite of execution loop for better accuracy
• Step-by-step instruction output during simulation
• Fixed cache access violations
• Better hazard detection and handling

Development Improvements

• Significantly enhanced documentation
• Fixed all compiler warnings
• Added Debug trait to key data structures
• Improved error messages and reporting

Bug Fixes

• Resolved memory access violations in cache implementation
• Fixed incorrect handling of JR (Jump Register) instruction
• Eliminated infinite loops in both simulators
• Corrected dot product calculation example
• Fixed PC-relative addressing in branch instructions
• Resolved out-of-bounds errors in cache implementation

Documentation

• Expanded README with better usage instructions and examples
• Added comprehensive CHANGELOG
• Improved code comments throughout the codebase

This release represents a major step forward in the stability and functionality of the VMIPS Rust Simulator, making it a more reliable tool for education and research purposes.