Evaluating hardware models having resource contention

1. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for determining an amount of a resource consumed during a simulation interval in a performance prediction simulation of a system, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

calculate an aggregate resource requirement associated with the resource in a simulation interval;

calculate a system event horizon for the simulation interval based on a resource usage state change in the system; and

adjust the aggregate resource requirement based on the system event horizon to provide an adjusted aggregate resource requirement for the resource, wherein the adjusted aggregate resource requirement represents the amount of the resource consumed during the simulation interval;

wherein the system includes a resource configuration, and the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to receive a resource topology tree defining the resource configuration of the system, wherein the resource is specified by the resource topology tree.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to:

advance a simulation clock to the system event horizon to start a next simulation interval.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the resource topology tree specifies at least one active resource.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the resource topology tree specifies at least one passive resource.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein to calculate an aggregate resource requirement is to:

receive one or more resource requirement contributions from one or more hardware models, each hardware model representing a resource associated with a resource contention timeline; and

combine the resource requirement contributions from the one or more hardware models to provide the aggregate resource requirement.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein to combine the resource requirement contributions is to:

add the resource requirement contributions together.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein to combine the resource requirement contributions is to:

perform a bitwise OR operation on the resource requirement contributions.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein to calculate a system event horizon is to:

determine a minimum event duration of active events to provide a resource event horizon;

determine a workload event horizon based on a start time of a newly activated event; and

select an earlier one of the resource event horizon or the workload event horizon to provide the system event horizon.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein to calculate a system event horizon is to:

pass an aggregate resource requirement to a hardware model to determine a duration of an active event; and

calculate in the hardware model the duration of the active event based on resource contention defined by the aggregate resource requirement.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to:

create a resource contention timeline entry storing the adjusted aggregate resource requirement, an identifier of the associated resource, and a start time; and

insert the resource contention timeline entry into a resource contention timeline corresponding to the associated resource.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to:

present the resource contention timeline on a video display in a graphical format.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to:

present the resource contention timeline on a video display in a text format.

13. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for determining an amount of a resource consumed during a performance prediction simulation of a system, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

define a resource configuration of the system to include at least one resource, wherein a hierarchical resource topology tree specifies the resource configuration;

associate the at least one resource with a resource contention timeline;

calculate an amount of the resource used during one or more simulation intervals of the performance prediction simulation; and

insert a resource contention timeline entry for each of the one or more simulation intervals into the resource contention timeline, each resource contention timeline entry specifying an amount of the resource used during the simulation interval associated with the resource contention timeline entry.

14. A system for determining an amount of a resource consumed during a performance prediction simulation of a system, the system comprising:

means for defining a resource configuration of the system to include at least one resource, wherein a hierarchical resource topology tree specifies the resource configuration;

means for associating the at least one resource with a resource contention timeline;

means for calculating an amount of the resource used during one or more simulation intervals of the performance prediction simulation; and

means for inserting a resource contention timeline entry for each of the one or more simulation intervals into the resource contention timeline, each resource contention timeline entry specifying an amount of the resource used during the simulation interval associated with the resource contention timeline entry.