Alpha RISC Architecture for Programmers

Alpha RISC Architecture for Programmers
by James S. Evans and Richard H. Eckhouse

The practical guide to computer architecture -- based on Alpha, the world's #1 64-bit processor

With Alpha RISC Architecture for Programmers, you can master the fundamentals of computer architecture and assembly language programming in the context of one of the world's most advanced high-performance processors: the 64-bit Alpha. The book introduces assemblers, debuggers, instruction formats, addressing, branch instructions, logical operations, and many other key fundamentals of processor architecture. It delivers real-world guidance for solving practical programming problems -- along with extensive runnable sample code. Coverage includes:

Working with bytes in a load/store architecture
Subroutines, procedures, and floating-point operations
Conditional assembly and macros
Text 1/0, including UNIX and OpenVMS implementations
Run-time environment support for both high-level and low-level languages
Writing subprograms and linking higher-level modules with assembly language modules

Learn how processor architecture impacts performance, including the roles of instruction size, addressing mode, instruction power, program size, in-line functions, recursion, pipelining, compilers, and post-compilation optimization. Master essential debugging techniques, and review the latest features of the Alpha architecture, including the Motion Video Extension and Privileged Architecture Library. The book includes extensive references to Alpha resources for Windows NT, UNIX, and OpenVMS. It will be an invaluable resource for hardware engineers, programmers, and students alike.

1999 Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458, ISBN 0-13-081438-5, http://www.phptr.com

Errata for the first printing.