Introduction to HP Assembly Language

Resource: For this lab, you will want to refer to HP's manual, PA-RISC 1.1 Architecture and Instruction Set Reference Manual, Third Edition. It is strongly recommended that you include this reference in your list of Web bookmarks.

Steps for this Lab:

1. Program ~/walker/assembly/prog1.p contains a linear search procedure, written in Pascal. Copy this program to your account, and compile it to assembly code, using the command:

   
        pc -S prog1.p
   

   This command will produce an assembly language program, stored in file prog1.s. Comment upon the general organization of data for the portion of this assembly language program which comes from the Linear Search procedure. In particular,
   1. Indicate where the local variable Done and the parameters Number, Info and Found are stored.
   2. Outline which registers are used for what information when.

2. Now, consider the the optimized C code, based on this Pascal program, which you wrote for the recent assignment. Compile it to assembly code, using the command:

   
        gcc -S filename.c
   

   Annotate the portion of this assembly language program which comes from the Linear Search procedure. That is,
   1. Identify all assembly language instructions and macros in the listing.
   2. Indicate where all local variables and parameters are stored.
   3. Outline which registers are used for what information when.

Work to be turned in:

• Steps 1a and 2b may be accomplished either in a written discussion or with an appropriate diagram of memory.
• Steps 1b and 2c require a few sentences. While not required, a diagram of registers and their usage may expedite the discussion.
• Write the annotations for Step 2a on the assembled listing. The annotations may be either long hand or typed as comments.

This document is available on the World Wide Web as

     http://www.math.grin.edu/~walker/courses/211/labs/as-assembler.html