Preface

The x86 Assembly Language Reference Manual documents the syntax of the Solaris x86 assembly language. This manual is provided to help experienced programmers understand the assembly language output of Solaris compilers. This manual is neither an introductory book about assembly language programming nor a reference manual for the x86 architecture.

Note - This Oracle Solaris release supports systems that use the SPARC and x86 families of processor architectures. The supported systems appear in the Solaris OS: Hardware Compatibility Lists. This document cites any implementation differences between the platform types.

In this document these x86 related terms mean the following:

“x86” refers to the larger family of 64-bit and 32-bit x86 compatible products.
“x64” relates specifically to 64-bit x86 compatible CPUs.
“32-bit x86” points out specific 32-bit information about x86 based systems.

For supported systems, see the Oracle Solaris OS: Hardware Compatibility Lists.

Who Should Use This Book

This manual is intended for experienced x86 assembly language programmers who are familiar with the x86 architecture.

Before You Read This Book

You should have a thorough knowledge of assembly language programming in general and be familiar with the x86 architecture in specific. You should be familiar with the ELF object file format. This manual assumes that you have the following documentation available for reference:

IA-32 Intel Architecture Software Developer's Manual (Intel Corporation, 2004). Volume 1: Basic Architecture. Volume 2: Instruction Set Reference A-M. Volume 3: Instruction Set Reference N-Z. Volume 4: System Programming Guide.
AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual (Advanced Micro Devices, 2003). Volume 1: Application Programming. Volume 2: System Programming. Volume 3: General-Purpose and System Instructions. Volume 4: 128-Bit Media Instructions. Volume 5: 64-Bit Media and x87 Floating-Point Instructions.
Linker and Libraries Guide
Sun Studio: C User's Guide
Sun Studio: Fortran User's Guide and Fortran Programming Guide
Man pages for the as(1), ld(1), and dis(1) utilities.

How This Book Is Organized

Chapter 1, Overview of the Solaris x86 Assembler provides an overview of the x86 functionality supported by the Solaris x86 assembler.

Chapter 2, Solaris x86 Assembly Language Syntax documents the syntax of the Solaris x86 assembly language.

Chapter 3, Instruction Set Mapping maps Solaris x86 assembly language instruction mnemonics to the native x86 instruction set.

Documentation, Support, and Training

See the following web sites for additional resources:

Documentation
Support
Training – Click the Sun link in the left navigation bar.

Oracle Software Resources

Oracle Technology Network offers a range of resources related to Oracle software:

Discuss technical problems and solutions on the Discussion Forums.
Get hands-on step-by-step tutorials with Oracle By Example.
Download Sample Code.

Typographic Conventions

The following table describes the typographic conventions that are used in this book.

Table P-1 Typographic Conventions

Typeface	Meaning	Example
`AaBbCc123`	The names of commands, files, and directories, and onscreen computer output	Edit your `.login` file. Use `ls -a` to list all files. `machine_name% you have mail.`
`AaBbCc123`	What you type, contrasted with onscreen computer output	`machine_name%` `su` `Password:`
`aabbcc123`	Placeholder: replace with a real name or value	The command to remove a file is `rm` `filename`.
AaBbCc123	Book titles, new terms, and terms to be emphasized	Read Chapter 6 in the User's Guide. A cache is a copy that is stored locally. Do not save the file. Note: Some emphasized items appear bold online.

Shell Prompts in Command Examples

The following table shows the default UNIX system prompt and superuser prompt for shells that are included in the Oracle Solaris OS. Note that the default system prompt that is displayed in command examples varies, depending on the Oracle Solaris release.

Table P-2 Shell Prompts

Shell	Prompt
Bash shell, Korn shell, and Bourne shell	`$`
Bash shell, Korn shell, and Bourne shell for superuser	`#`
C shell	`machine_name%`
C shell for superuser	`machine_name#`

Skip Navigation Links
Exit Print View
	x86 Assembly Language Reference Manual Oracle Solaris 11 Express 11/10