CodeMaxx / ArchNotes

Some interesting things I read during the Computer Architecture labs

ArchNotes

Lab 1

• Instruction Format

• Wikibook MIPS Instruction format (with opcodes)

• The destination is upper half last 5 bits.

• Opcode - Highest 6 bits of the machine code

• The div instruction stores the remainder in $HI and quotient in $LO. These two registers are not directly accessible in instructions. We need to use mfhi and mflo instructions.

• Most of the R-type instructions have 0x00 opcode. They are identified by their "function code" which is the last 6 bits of the machine code.

• How to load 32 bit values in a register?

• Pseudo-instructions

Preparing for Tut 4

• add v/s addu

• Advantage of 2's complement over 1's complement

• Sign and Zero Extension

• FAQ - Load and Store instruction

Lab 4

• How to write a procedure in MIPS

Lab 5

• Exceptions in MIPS
• SPIM stores and displays data in the format(little or big endian) of the host machine