Intel i86W Manual page 7

PREFACE
The Intel i86W
M
Microprocessor (part number 80860XR) delivers supercomputer perfor-
mance in a single VLSI component. The 64-bit design of the i860 microprocessor bal-
ances integer, floating point, and graphics performance for applications such as
engineering workstations, scientific computing, 3-D graphics workstations, and multiuser
systems. Its parallel architecture achieves high throughput with RISC design techniques,
pipelined processing units, wide data paths, large on-chip caches, and fast one micron
CHMOS IV silicon technology.
This book is the basic source of the detailed information that enables software designers
and programmers to use the i860 microprocessor. This book explains all programmer-
visible features of the architecture.
Even though the principal users of this Programmer's Reference Manual will be pro-
grammers, it contains information that is of value to systems designers and administra-
tors of software projects, as well. Readers of these latter categories may choose only to
read the higher-level sections of the manual, skipping over much of the programmer-
oriented detail.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
• Chapter 1, "Architectural Overview," describes the i860 microprocessor "in a nut-
shell" and presents for the first time the terms that will be used throughout the book.
• Chapter 2, "Data Types," defines the basic units operated on by the instructions of
the i860 microprocessor.
• Chapter 3, "Registers," presents the processor's database. A detailed knowledge of
the registers is important to programmers, but this chapter may be skimmed by
administrators.
• Chapter 4, "Addressing," presents the details of operand alignment, page-oriented
virtual memory, and on-chip caches. Systems designers and administrators may
choose to read the introductory sections of each topic.
• Chapter 5, "Core Instructions," presents detailed information about those instruc-
tions that deal with memory addressing, integer arithmetic, and control flow.
• Chapter 6, "Floating-Point Instructions," presents detailed information about those
instructions that deal with floating-point arithmetic, long-integer arithmetic, and 3-D
graphics support. This chapter explains how extremely high performance can be
achieved by utilizing the parallelism and pipelining of the i860 microprocessor.
• Chapter 7, "Traps and Interrupts," deals with both systems- and applications-
oriented exceptions, external interrupts, writing exception handlers, saving the state
of the processor (information that is also useful for task switching), and initialization.
• Chapter 8, "Programming Model," defines standards for the use of many features of
the i860 microprocessor. Software administrators should be aware of the need for
standards and should ensure that they are implemented. Following the standards
presented here guarantees that compilers, applications programs, and operating sys-
tems written by different people and organizations will all work together.
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