Assembler to C migration using the FermaT transformation system

Abstract

The FermaT transformation system, based on research carried out over the last twelve years (1987-99) at Durham University and Software Migrations Ltd., is an industrial-strength formal transformation engine with many applications in program comprehension and language migration. The paper describes one application of the system: the migration of IBM 370 Assembler code to equivalent, maintainable C code. We present an example of using the tool to migrate a small, but complex, assembler module to C with no manual intervention required. We briefly discuss a mass migration exercise where 1925 assembler modules were successfully migrated to C code.