Abstract
Control-unit microcode is characterized by the control of multiple asynchronous devices. This paper describes the Concurrent Microprogramming Facility (CMF), a general-purpose microcode operating system that applies recent advances in programming technology to define a uniform method of expressing this inherent asynchrony. This method is shown to be the basis for the partition of the microcode function and to provide a framework for communication between programmers as well as programs. CMF provides an environment where microcode is viewed as disjoint asynchronous processes that communicate with each other and hardware adapters using a small set of primitives based on the concept of message passing. A uniform process interface both streamlines documentation and accommodates multiprocessor designs. A macro-based system definition facility drives the system and allows the structure of a large microprogram to be specified on a single page.
- P. Brinch Hansen, "The Programming Language Concurrent Pascal," IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. SE-1, No. 2, pp. 199--207, June 1975.Google Scholar
Digital Library
- P. Brinch Hansen, "Concurrent Programming Concepts," Computing Surveys, Vol. 6, No. 4, December 1973. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- C. A. R. Hoare, "Communicating Sequential Processes," CACM, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 666--677, August 1978. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- H. Wirth, "Modula: A Language for Modular Multiprogramming," Software Practice and Experience, Vol. 7, pp. 3--35, 1977.Google Scholar
Cross Ref
- E. W. Dijkstra, "The Structure of the Multiprogramming System," CACM, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 341--346, May 1968. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- IBM SH20-9161-1, Document Composition Facility User's Guide.Google Scholar
Index Terms
(auto-classified)A concurrent microprogramming facility
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