Approaches for Monitoring Vectors on Microprocessor Buses

This paper introduces two new methods for observing and recording the vectors that have been asserted on a bus. The first is a software approach that uses a novel data structure similar to binary decision diagrams which allows for a compact representation of stored values. Even though the new data structure presented in this paper can potentially grow to contain just as many nodes as there are possible values, such cases are often rare. The second is a hardware approach that is based on a simple circuit consisting of a small memory and two counters and has the ability to perform at the speed of the microprocessor.