In order to use Simics, you must have images (also called disk
dumps) with the operating system and the applications you plan to
run. Depending on the type of machine you are using, these images will
correspond to the contents of a disk, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, etc. There are
some images provided that work with the example machines located in the
targets directory.
Simics images are usually stored in a special format called craff
(for Compressed Random Access File Format) to save disk space. Simics also
accepts a raw binary dumps as well as VHDX images. The use of a raw dumps
as images can sometimes be more practical if you
are manipulating images outside Simics. Simics comes with the
craff utility to manipulate and convert images in
craff format (see section 7.2.8).
This chapter will explain the following:
To provide you with a more practical overview, here are the ways you can install and modify the operating system and the applications you wish to run:
You can also run upload and download commands directly from the command-line in the target system shell, using the Simics Agent application.
Do not forget to read more about images in section 7.2.2 to learn how to save and re-use your changes.