Welcome to Systems Software

The purpose of this course is to provide

background in fundamental types of system
software, particularly assemblers, loaders,
macro processors, and linkage editors.
The course uses a simplified instructional
computer (SIC and SIC/XE) to illustrate
machine level system software requirements.
Welcome to Systems Software
A major objective of the course will be for
students to design and implement a working
(cross) assembler for SIC and part of SIC/XE.
Concerned
Application programs
Machine independent
Solves a specific problem
Systems programs
Machine dependent
Support computers operation
Compiler
Assembler
Linker
Loader
OS
Application Programs
C/C++, Java, Perl, Python, Fortran, PL/1, LISP,
Prolog, Pascal, C#, Ruby
Programs to sort, search, etc.
Systems Programs
Compiler
Translates application programs to intermediate code
Assemblers
Translates intermediate code to machine code
Linkers
Links the machine code modules into one
Loaders
Loads the machine code in memory
OS
Controls the operation of the computer

Assembler Program - SIC
(Intermediate Code)
LDA FIVE Load 5 into A
STA ALPHA Store in ALPHA
LDCH CHARZ Load character Z into A
STCH C1 Store in C1
.
.
ALPHA RESW 1 one word variable
FIVE WORD 5 one word constant
CHARZ BYTE CZ one byte constant
C1 RESB 1 one byte variable
Assembler Program SIC/XE
(Intermediate Code)
LDA #5 Load 5 into A
STA ALPHA Store in ALPHA
LDCH #90 Load character Z into A
STCH C1 Store in C1
.
.
ALPHA RESW 1 one word variable
C1 RESB 1 one byte variable
SIC / SICXE
Simple Instruction Computer
Simple Instruction Computer Extended
Designed to be similar to real computers
Designed to avoid unnecessary detail
CHARACTERISTICS
OF
SIC

SIC Architecture - Memory
Bytes 8 bits
Word 3 bytes (24 bits)
Byte addressable
Words addressed by lowest byte
32767 (2
15
) bytes of total memory
SIC Architecture - Registers
5 registers
Each a full word
Each special purpose
Register Names and Usage - SIC
A 0 Accumulator; used for arithmetic
X 1 Index register; used for addressing
L 2 Linkage resister; used for return address
PC 8 Program counter; address of next inst.
SW 9 Status word; variety of information
including a condition code (CC)
Data Formats - SIC
Integers 24 bit binary 2s complement
Characters 8 bit ASCII
No floating point
Data Formats Example
Integer
5 000000000000000000000101
-5 111111111111111111111011
Character
A 01000001
R 01010010
Instruction Formats - SIC
24 bit


8 bit opcode 1 bit addressing mode 15 bit address
Addressing Modes - SIC
Direct x = 0 Target address = address
Indexed x = 1 Target address + (X)
(X) is the contents of register X
Instruction Set - SIC
Load and Store Registers
LDA, LDX, STA, STX, etc.
Integer Arithmetic (all involve register A)
Add, SUB, MUL, DIV
Compare
COMP compares A with a word in memory
Sets the CC in the SW
Jump instructions
JLT, JEQ, JGT based on the CC as set by COMP
Subroutine Linkage
JSUB jumps to subroutine, places return address in L
RSUB returns, using the address in L

Input/Output - SIC
TD test device is ready to send/receive data
CC of < means device is ready
CC of = means device is not ready
RD read data, when the device is ready
WD write data
Transfers 1 byte at a time to or from the rightmost 8
bits of register A.
Each device has a unique 8-bit code as an operand.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF
SIC/XE

SIC/XE Architecture - Memory
Bytes 8 bits
Word 3 bytes (24 bits)
Byte addressable
Words addressed by lowest byte
1 meg (2
20
) bytes of total memory (more
memory leads to a change in instruction
formats and addressing modes
SIC/XE Architecture - Registers
5 registers of SIC + 4 additional
Each a full word
Each special purpose
Register Names and Usage SIC
and SIC/XE
A 0 Accumulator; used for arithmetic
X 1 Index register; used for addressing
L 2 Linkage resister; used for return address
PC 8 Program counter; address of next inst.
SW 9 Status word; variety of information
including a condition code (CC)
FOUR Additional Registers and
their Usage SIC/XE
B 3 Base register, used for addressing
S 4 General register no special use
T 5 General register no special use
F 6 Floating-point accumulator (48 bits)
Data Formats SIC/XE
Integers 24 bit binary 2s complement
Characters 8 bit ASCII
Floating point 48 bit floating point
Data Formats SIC/XE
24 bit integer

48 bit floating point


1 bit sign 11 bit exponent 36 bit fraction
Floating Point Format SIC/XE
Fraction is a value between 0 and 1
The binary point is immediately before the high
order bit which must be 1
The exponent is an unsigned binary number
between 0 and 2047
Floating Point (cont) SIC/XE
Suppose the exponent is e and the fraction is f
The number is f * 2
(e+1024)

0 sign is positive
1 is negative
0 is all bits including sign are 0
Data Formats Example
Integer
5 = 000000000000000000000101
-5 = 111111111111111111111011
Character
A 01000001


Data Formats Example
Float
4.89 = .1001110001111010111000010100011110
10111000010100 * 2
3 (1027)
=0 10000000011 100111000111101011
100001010001111010
Data Formats Example
Float
-.000489 = 100000000011000000
111100000001111110 * 2
-10 (1014)
=1 01111110110 100000000011000000
111100000001111110
Instruction Formats SIC/XE
Format 1 - 8 bit (1 byte)


Format 2 16 bit (2 bytes)


8 bit opcode
8 bit opcode 4 bit R1 reg 4 bit R2 reg
Instruction Formats SIC/XE
Format 3 - 24 bit (3 byte)


Format 4 32 bit (4 bytes)


6 bit opcode n i x b p e 20 bit address
6 bit opcode n i x b p e 12 bit displacemnt
Addressing Modes SIC/XE
Format 3/4 Instruction
Base relative b=1,p=0 TA = (B)+disp
0 disp 4095
disp is a n unsigned integer
PC relative b=0,p=1 TA = (PC)+disp
-2048 disp 2047
disp is a 2s complement integer
(?) is the contents of register ?
if b=0, p=0 then disp is an absolute address

Addressing Modes SIC/XE
Format 3/4 Instruction (cont)
Any addressing mode can be combined with
indexed addressing. i.e. if bit x is a 1 then (X) is
added in the target address calculation.


Addressing Modes SIC/XE
Format 3/4 Instruction the disp
(cont)
Immediate addressing
i = 1, n = 0 the address itself is the operand, no
memory reference
Indirect addressing
i = 0, n = 1 the word at the location is fetched as the
address for the instruction
Simple addressing
i = n = 0 the target address is taken as the operand
e = 0 implies format 3, e = 1 implies format 4
Instruction Set SIC/XE
Load and Store Registers
LDA, LDX, STA, STX, LDB, STB, RMO
Integer Arithmetic (all involve register A)
Add, SUB, MUL, DIV, ADDF, SUBF, MULF, DIVF, ADDR,
SUBR, MULR, DIVR
Compare
COMP compares A with a word in memory
Sets the CC in the SW
Jump instructions
JLT, JEQ, JGT based on the CC as set by COMP
Subroutine Linkage
JSUB jumps to subroutine, places return address in L
RSUB returns, using the address in L

Input/Output SIC/XE
TD test device is ready to send/receive data
CC of < means device is ready
CC of = means device is not ready
RD read data, when the device is ready
WD write data
Transfers 1 byte at a time to or from the rightmost 8
bits of register A.
Each device has a unique 8-bit code as an operand.
I/0 channels SIO, TIO, HIO
Summary Addressing Modes
e = 0 Format 3 instruction
e = 1 Format 4 instruction
Summary Addressing Modes
Direct Addressing b = p = 0
TA = disp
Relative Addressing
b = 1, p = 0
TA = (B) + disp
b = 0, p = 1
TA = (PC) + disp
Summary Addressing Modes
Immediate
i = 1, n = 0
Target address itself is used as the operand value
Indirect
i = 0, n = 1
Value contained in the word is the address
Summary Addressing Modes
Simple
i = n = 0
TA is the location of the operand
SIC/XE instruction
i = n = 1
TA is determined by other bits