Abstract: A clock comparator sign control is used in a compare operation. A clock comparator sign control that determines whether unsigned arithmetic or signed arithmetic is to be used in a comparing operation is obtained. The clock comparator sign control is then used in a comparison of a value of a clock comparator and at least a portion of a value of a time-of-day clock to determine whether a selected action is to be recognized.

Abstract: A clock comparator sign control is used in a compare operation. A clock comparator sign control that determines whether unsigned arithmetic or signed arithmetic is to be used in a comparing operation is obtained. The clock comparator sign control is then used in a comparison of a value of a clock comparator and at least a portion of a value of a time-of-day clock to determine whether a selected action is to be recognized.

Abstract: A clock comparator sign control is used in a compare operation. A clock comparator sign control that determines whether unsigned arithmetic or signed arithmetic is to be used in a comparing operation is obtained. The clock comparator sign control is then used in a comparison of a value of a clock comparator and at least a portion of a value of a time-of-day clock to determine whether a selected action is to be recognized.

Abstract: Selected installed function of a multi-function instruction is hidden such that even though a processor is capable of performing the hidden installed function, the availability of the hidden function is hidden such that responsive to the multi-function instruction querying the availability of functions, only functions not hidden are reported as installed.

Abstract: A system and method of executing a plurality of threads, including a first thread and a set of remaining threads, on a computer processor core. The system and method includes determining that a start interpretive execution exit condition exists; determining that the computer processor core is within a grace period; and entering by the first thread a start interpretive execution exit sync loop without signaling to any of the set of remaining threads. In turn, the first thread remains in the start interpretive execution exit sync loop until the grace period expires or each of the remaining threads enters a corresponding start interpretive execution exit sync loop.

Abstract: A TRANSACTION BEGIN instruction and a TRANSACTION END instruction are provided. The TRANSACTION BEGIN instruction causes either a constrained or nonconstrained transaction to be initiated, depending on a field of the instruction. The TRANSACTION END instruction ends the transaction started by the TRANSACTION BEGIN instruction.

Abstract: An enhanced dynamic address translation facility product is created such that, in one embodiment, a virtual address to be translated and an initial origin address of a translation table of the hierarchy of translation tables are obtained. Dynamic address translation of the virtual address proceeds. In response to a translation interruption having occurred during dynamic address translation, bits are stored in a translation exception qualifier (TXQ) field to indicate that the exception was either a host DAT exception having occurred while running a host program or a host DAT exception having occurred while running a guest program. The TXQ is further capable of indicating that the exception was associated with a host virtual address derived from a guest page frame real address or a guest segment frame absolute address. The TXQ is further capable of indicating that a larger or smaller host frame size is preferred to back a guest frame.

Abstract: A guarded storage facility sets up a boundary indicating a range of addresses to be guarded or protected. When a program attempts to access an address in a guarded section defined by the boundary, a guarded storage event occurs. Use of this facility facilitates performance of certain tasks within a computing environment, including storage reclamation.

Abstract: What is provided is an enhanced dynamic address translation facility. In one embodiment, a virtual address to be translated and an initial origin address of a translation table of the hierarchy of translation tables are obtained. Based on the origin address, a segment table entry is obtained which contains a format control field and an access validity field. If the format control and access validity are enabled, the segment table entry further contains an access control and fetch protection fields, and a segment-frame absolute address. Store operations to the block of data are permitted only if the access control field matches a program access key provided by either a Program Status Word or an operand of a program instruction being executed. Fetch operations from the desired block of data are permitted only if the program access key associated with the virtual address is equal to the segment access control field.

Abstract: A facility and cache machine instruction of a computer architecture for specifying a target cache cache-level and a target cache attribute of interest for obtaining a cache attribute of one or more target caches. The requested cache attribute of the target cache(s) is saved in a register.

Abstract: A Conditional Transaction End (CTEND) instruction is provided that allows a program executing in a nonconstrained transactional execution mode to inspect a storage location that is modified by either another central processing unit or the Input/Output subsystem. Based on the inspected data, transactional execution may be ended or aborted, or the decision to end/abort may be delayed, e.g., until a predefined event occurs. For instance, when the instruction executes, the processor is in a nonconstrained transaction execution mode, and the transaction nesting depth is one at the beginning of the instruction, a second operand of the instruction is inspected, and based on the inspected data, transaction execution may be ended or aborted, or the decision to end/abort may be delayed, e.g., until a predefined event occurs, such as the value of the second operand becomes a prespecified value or a time interval is exceeded.

Abstract: A guarded storage facility sets up a boundary indicating a range of addresses to be guarded or protected. When a program attempts to access an address in a guarded section defined by the boundary, a guarded storage event occurs. Use of this facility facilitates performance of certain tasks within a computing environment, including storage reclamation.

Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general registers, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code data structure.

Abstract: A system and method of implementing a wait state for a plurality of threads executing on a computer processor core of the processor. The processor is configured to execute instruction streams by the plurality of threads, wherein the plurality of threads includes a first thread and a set of remaining threads and determine that the first thread has entered a first wait state loop. The processor is also configured to determine that any of the set of remaining threads has not entered a corresponding wait state loop and remain by the first thread in the first wait state loop until each of the set of remaining threads has entered the corresponding wait state loop.

Abstract: A conditional instruction end facility is provided that allows completion of an instruction to be delayed. In executing the machine instruction, an operand is obtained, and a determination is made as to whether the operand has a predetermined relationship with respect to a value. Based on determining that the operand does not have the predetermined relationship with respect to the value, the obtaining and the determining are repeated. Based on determining that the operand has the predetermined relationship with respect to the value, execution of the instruction is completed.

Abstract: A machine instruction is provided that includes an opcode field to provide an opcode, the opcode to identify a perform pseudorandom number operation, and a register field to be used to identify a register, the register to specify a location in memory of a first operand to be used. The machine instruction is executed, and execution includes for each block of memory of one or more blocks of memory of the first operand, generating a hash value using a 512 bit secure hash technique and at least one seed value of a parameter block of the machine instruction; and storing at least a portion of the generated hash value in a corresponding block of memory of the first operand, the generated hash value being at least a portion of a pseudorandom number.

Abstract: A delay facility is provided in which program execution may be delayed until a predefined event occurs, such as a comparison of memory locations results in a true condition, a timeout is reached, an interruption is made pending or another condition exists. The delay facility includes one or more compare and delay machine instructions used to delay execution. The one or more compare and delay instructions may include a 32-bit compare and delay (CAD) instruction and a 64-bit compare and delay (CADG) instruction.

Abstract: Optimizations are provided for frame management operations, including a clear operation and/or a set storage key operation, requested by pageable guests. The operations are performed, absent host intervention, on frames not resident in host memory. The operations may be specified in an instruction issued by the pageable guests.

Abstract: A guarded storage facility sets up a boundary indicating a range of addresses to be guarded or protected. When a program attempts to access an address in a guarded section defined by the boundary, a guarded storage event occurs. Use of this facility facilitates performance of certain tasks within a computing environment, including storage reclamation.

Abstract: A guarded storage facility sets up a boundary indicating a range of addresses to be guarded or protected. When a program attempts to access an address in a guarded section defined by the boundary, a guarded storage event occurs. Use of this facility facilitates performance of certain tasks within a computing environment, including storage reclamation.