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 - In this document the term “x86” refers to 64-bit and 32-bit systems manufactured using processors compatible with the AMD64 or Intel Xeon/Pentium product families. For supported systems, see the Solaris 10 Hardware Compatibility List.

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 9: C User's Guide
Sun Studio 9: 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.

Accessing Sun Documentation Online

The docs.sun.com Web site enables you to access Sun technical documentation online. You can browse the docs.sun.com archive or search for a specific book title or subject. The URL is http://docs.sun.com.

Ordering Sun Documentation

Sun Microsystems offers select product documentation in print. For a list of documents and how to order them, see “Buy printed documentation” at http://docs.sun.com.

Typographic Conventions

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

Table P-1 Typographic Conventions

Typeface or Symbol	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`	Command-line 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. Perform a patch analysis. Do not save the file. [Note that some emphasized items appear bold online.]

Shell Prompts in Command Examples

The following table shows the default system prompt and superuser prompt for the C shell, Bourne shell, and Korn shell.

Table P-2 Shell Prompts

Shell	Prompt
C shell prompt	`machine_name%`
C shell superuser prompt	`machine_name#`
Bourne shell and Korn shell prompt	`$`
Bourne shell and Korn shell superuser prompt	`#`

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