Dephy Coding Assignment

EPROM Emulator

Design and implement an EPROM emulator that can read and write files to virtual EPROM chips (vEPROM).

An EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) is a type of non-volatile memory that can be programmed (written to) an unlimited number of times. Once programmed, they can only be erased by exposing them to UV light.

The emulator should have the following features:

• Create a new virtual EPROM chips with a specified capacity (e.g. 256 KB).
• Read and write files or arbitrary data to the virtual EPROM chips.
• List the files on a virtual EPROM chip.
• Erase the virtual EPROM chip.

The vEPROM emulator should be implemented as a command line tool, with the following commands:

• create: creates a new virtual EPROM chip with a specified capacity.
  • Usage: veprom create 256 creates a new virtual EPROM chip with a capacity of 256 KB. It outputs the path of the file used to store the vEPROM. This is the vEprom that’ll be used when the other commands are called.
• load: loads a vEPROM file
  • Usage: veprom load /path/to/veprom/file. This is the vEprom that’ll be used when the other commands are called.
• write_raw: writes a raw string of bytes to a specific address on the virtual EPROM chip.
  • Usage: veprom write_raw $ADDRESS $STRING
• read_raw: reads the values stored at a specific address and length on the virtual EPROM chip and outputs it on stdout.
  • Usage: veprom read_raw $ADDRESS $length
• write: writes a file to the virtual EPROM chip.
  • Usage: veprom write /path/to/local/file writes the file /path/to/local/file to the virtual EPROM chip as file.
• list: lists the files on the virtual EPROM chip.
  • Usage: veprom list
• read: reads a file from the virtual EPROM chip.
  • Usage: veprom read $FILE reads the $FILE file from the virtual EPROM chip and outputs it to stdout.
• erase: sets the EPROM back to its original state
  • Usage: veprom erase

As a bonus, build a graphical front-end for the emulator that allows users to visualize how the files are stored on the virtual EPROM chip.

Constraints

• The emulator should be implemented in C++.
• The emulator should use a flat file system to store the virtual EPROM chips. Each chip should be stored as a separate file on the local file system.
• The emulator should handle errors gracefully and provide appropriate feedback to the user (e.g. if the user tries to write a file that is larger than the capacity of the chip).

Evaluation Criteria

1. Correctness: Does the emulator correctly implement the required features and handle errors gracefully?
2. Usability: Is the emulator easy to use and understand?
3. Code quality: Is the code well-organized, maintainable, and properly documented?
4. Bonus: Does the graphical front-end provide a useful visualization of the file system on the virtual EPROM chip?

Deliverables

Please provide the following as part of your submission in a PR to this repo: The source code for the emulator and graphical front-end. Instructions for how to build and run the emulator. A short video demonstrating the use of the emulator.

Submitting the Solution

To submit your solution, fork this repo, create your code, and submit a Pull Request once you're ready for Dephy to take a look.