Computer Organization and Programming
Computer Organization and Programming
Using APL to understand bit-slice microprocessors
APL '84 Proceedings of the international conference on APL
Automated proofs of microprogram correctness
MICRO 9 Proceedings of the 9th annual workshop on Microprogramming
Some Problems in Certifying Microprograms
IEEE Transactions on Computers
On proving correctness of microprograms
IBM Journal of Research and Development
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When given a computer system, probably the first thing a user looks at is the instruction set. This information is usually found in a Principles of Operation manual. Here also resides the architectural flavor of the system. Now move from the user of a computer system to the implementers of a computer system. At what do they look? Certainly they must understand the instruction set and architecture. But, in addition, they need to know the nature of the hardware with which they have to work. They must know such things as the functions which can be executed by the Arithmetic and Logic Unit and how data can flow between the storage registers that make up the hardware of the computer. All of this information in great detail is found in the functional specification of the computer system. Much of this information is represented graphically as a data flow. It describes how data can move within the hardware that comprises the computer system. The computer system can not yet operate since a very important item, the element of time, is missing. The determination of when data should move within the data flow makes up what is referred to as control design. The specification of these controls for a data flow is a very intricate and involved affair. Microprogramming is one technique of control design. One of its salient features is that all the control information is stored in an orderly fashion as an array. This array is referred to as a control store. Information is selected from control store a small portion at a time. This portion, called a microinstruction, contains the information necessary to control the data flow for a small period of time, usually a machine cycle.