Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems adapted for use with a processor having one or more physical cores. The methods and systems include a virtual core management component adapted to map one or more virtual cores to at least one of the physical cores to enable execution of one or more programs by the at least one physical core. The one or more virtual cores include one or more logical states associated with the execution of the one or more programs. The methods and systems may include a memory component adapted to store the one or more virtual cores. The virtual core management component may be adapted to transfer the one or more virtual cores from the memory component to the at least one physical core.

Abstract: A computer system is disclosed herein including a given microprocessor specifically designed to operate in a virtual operating mode that allows a software program previously written for an earlier designed single program microprocessor to execute in a protected, paged, multi-tasking environment under a particularly designed host operating software program. The system also includes means for executing software interrupt (INTn) instructions, using emulation software forming part of the host program in order to emulate the way in which these instructions would have been executed by the earlier microprocessor. As a unique improvement to this overall computer system, certain ones of the INTn instructions are executed by means of emulation software while others are executed by means of the previously written program in cooperation with the given microprocessor and its host operating software program.

Abstract: A computer system is disclosed herein including a given microprocessor specifically designed to operate in a virtual operating mode that allows a software program previously written for an earlier designed single program microprocessor to execute in a protected, paged, multi-tasking environment under a particularly designed host operating software program. The system also includes means for executing software interrupt (INTn) instructions, using emulation software forming part of the host program in order to emulate the way in which these instructions would have been executed by the earlier microprocessor. As a unique improvement to this overall computer system, certain ones of the INTn instructions are executed by means of emulation software while others are executed by means of the previously written program in cooperation with the given microprocessor and its host operating software program.

Abstract: An article representing a processor providing event handling functionality is described. According to one embodiment of the invention, the article includes a machine readable medium storing data representing a processor including an instruction set unit and an event handling unit, as well as a first plurality of event handlers that includes a first event handler. The instruction set unit is to support a first and second instruction sets. Problems that arise during the processing of instructions from the first and second unit are to cause the article to execute the appropriate one of the first plurality of event handlers. At least some of the first set of events are mapped to different ones of the first plurality of event handlers. All of the second set of events are mapped to the first event handler.

Abstract: A computer system is disclosed herein including a given microprocessor specifically designed to operate in a virtual operating mode that allows a software program previously written for an earlier designed single program microprocessor to execute in a protected, paged, multi-tasking environment under a particularly designed host operating software program. The system also includes means for executing software interrupt (INTn) instructions, using emulation software forming part of the host program in order to emulate the way in which these instructions would have been executed by the earlier microprocessor. As a unique improvement to this overall computer system, certain ones of the INTn instructions are executed by means of emulation software while others are executed by means of the previously written program in cooperation with the given microprocessor and its host operating software program.

Abstract: An article representing a processor providing event handling functionality is described. According to one embodiment of the invention, the article includes a machine readable medium storing data representing a processor including an instruction set unit and an event handling unit, as well as a first plurality of event handlers that includes a first event handler. The instruction set unit is to support a first and second instruction sets. Problems that arise during the processing of instructions from the first and second unit are to cause the article to execute the appropriate one of the first plurality of event handlers. At least some of the first set of events are mapped to different ones of the first plurality of event handlers. All of the second set of events are mapped to the first event handler.

Abstract: Method And Apparatus for Providing Event Handling Functionality in a Computer System. According to one embodiment of the invention, a computer system includes an instruction set unit and an event handling unit in a processor, as well as a first plurality of event handlers that includes a first event handler. The instruction set unit is to support a first and second instruction sets. Problems that arise during the processing of instructions from the first and second unit is to cause the processor to execute the appropriate one of the first plurality of event handlers. At least some of the first set of events are mapped to different ones of the first plurality of event handlers. All of the second set of events are mapped to the first event handler.

Abstract: A computer system including a given microprocessor specifically designed to operate in a virtual operating mode allows a software program previously written for an earlier designed single program microprocessor to execute in a protected, paged, multi-tasking environment under a particularly designed host operating software program. The system also includes means for executing software interrupt (INTn) instructions, using emulation software forming part of the host program in order to emulate the way in which these instructions would have been executed by the earlier microprocessor. As a unique improvement to this overall computer system, certain ones of the INTn instructions are executed by means of emulation software while others are executed by means of the previously written program in cooperation with the given microprocessor and its host operating software program.

Abstract: A Method and Apparatus for Providing Memory Management and Event Handling Functionality in a Computer System. According to one embodiment of the invention, a processor comprises an instruction set unit, a segmentation unit, and a paging unit. The instruction set unit is to support a first and second instruction sets. The segmentation unit is coupled to the instruction set unit to translate virtual addresses used by the first instruction set into translated addresses. The paging unit is coupled to the instruction set unit to translate both virtual addresses used by the second instruction set and the translated addresses into physical addresses. According to another embodiment of the invention, a computer system includes an instruction set unit and an event handling unit in a processor, as well as a first plurality of event handlers that includes a first event handler. The instruction set unit is to support a first and second instruction sets.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing breakpoints on a selectable address range. The apparatus generally includes a processor including a first storage area, a second storage area, a circuit and an execution unit. The first storage area has stored therein a first address, while the second storage area has stored therein a mask. The first address and the mask define an address range. In response to receiving a second address, the circuit accesses the first address stored in the first storage area and the mask stored in the second storage area. The circuit transmits a signal to cause a debug event if the second address is within the address range defined by the first address and the mask.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in a computer system comprises a first storage area and a circuit, coupled to the first storage area, configured to perform a comparison of a data element A with a data element B. In response to a single instruction, the circuit performs the comparison and outputs a condition field of at least one bits when the comparison of A and B is TRUE, or else the circuit outputs the ones-complement of the condition field when the comparison of A and B is FALSE. The circuit may be used in conjunction with a sequence of instructions to select bits from a first data element and bits from a second data element using the one or more condition field bits.

Abstract: A processor having two system configurations is provided. The apparatus generally includes an instruction set unit, a system unit, an internal bus, and a bus unit. The instruction set unit, the system unit, and the bus unit are coupled together by the internal bus. The system unit is capable of selectively operating in one of two system configurations. The first system configuration provides a first system architecture, while the second system configuration provides a second system architecture. The bus unit is used for sending and receiving signals from the instruction set unit and the system unit. According to another aspect of the invention, the instruction set unit is capable of selectively operating in one of two instruction set configurations. The first instruction set configuration provides for the execution of instruction belonging to a first instruction set, while the second instruction set configuration provides for the execution of instructions belonging to a second instruction set.

Abstract: A technique for providing adaptive 128-bit load and store operations to support architecture extensions for computations on a 128-bit quadruple precision format, in which a single set of load and store instructions provides for save and restore operations on both 80-bit and 128-bit floating point register files. A 128-bit load and store instructions are utilized for moving values that are 128-bit aligned in memory. The transfer entails the movement of data between a 128-bit memory boundary and a floating point register file for register save and restore operations. In one embodiment, 80-bit registers are used and in a second embodiment 128-bit registers are used. The same instructions operate on both the 80-bit and 128-bit registers to map the content of a given register into a 128-bit boundary field in memory. A load/store unit allocates the bit positioning so that when 80-bit registers are used, the 80 bits are moved into the most significant bit positions of the 128-bit boundary field.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing address breakpoints, branch breakpoints, and single stepping is described. According to one aspect of the invention, a processor is provided which generally includes an execution unit, a first storage area, and an address breakpoint unit. The execution unit recognizes a first debug event in response to the execution of an instruction which causes a branch to be taken. The first storage area has stored therein information. The address breakpoint unit is coupled to the first storage area to receive the information. The address breakpoint unit is also coupled to the execution unit to receive addresses. The address breakpoint unit determines whether the addresses it receives form the execution unit are identified by the information. The execution unit recognizes a second debug event when the address breakpoint unit indicates one of these addresses is identified by the information.

Abstract: A technique for providing adaptive 128-bit load and store operations to support architecture extensions for computations on a 128-bit quadruple precision format, in which a single set of load and store instructions provides for save and restore operations on both 80-bit and 128-bit floating point register files. A 128-bit load and store instructions are utilized for moving values that are 128-bit aligned in memory. The transfer entails the movement of data between a 128-bit memory boundary and a floating point register file for register save and restore operations. In one embodiment, 80-bit registers are used and in a second embodiment 128-bit registers are used. The same instructions operate on both the 80-bit and 128-bit registers to map the content of a given register into a 128-bit boundary field in memory. A load/store unit allocates the bit positioning so that when 80-bit registers are used, the 80 bits are moved into the most significant bit positions of the 128-bit boundary field.

Abstract: A specialized set of read-only identification (ID) registers are used to store information relating to a microprocessor and its associated attributes, so that microcode is not needed to sequence through steps to obtain such processor identification. A software access a base ID (or identifier) register which includes family (type), model and step ID for the processor, as well as the number of "name" and "feature" registers present for conveying additional information pertaining to these attributes.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for providing the source address of an instruction which causes a branch to be taken (e.g., instructs the processor to transfer the flow of execution) is described. In one embodiment, a processor includes a circuit coupled to a source address storage area. In response to the processor executing an instruction which instructs the processor to transfer the flow of execution to another instruction, the circuit stores in the source address storage area the address of the instruction which is causing the transfer in flow of execution.According to another aspect of the invention, a method for profiling is provided. According to this method, a starting address for execution is stored. Then for the instruction currently being executed, it is determined if that instruction will cause a branch from a source address to a destination address.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the separate enablement of debug events during the execution of operating system routines and non-operating system routines. According to one aspect of the invention, a processor is described which may operate in a first mode and a second mode. While operating in the first mode, the processor allows for access to additional resources which are not available in the second mode. The processor generally includes a first storage area, a circuit, and debug circuitry. The first storage area has stored therein a first indication. This first indication indicates which mode the processor is currently operating in. The circuit has stored therein a second indication and a third indication. The second indication indicates whether a debug event is to be recognized while the processor is operating in the first mode. The third indication indicates whether the debug event is to be recognized while the processor is operating in the second mode.