Skip Navigation

The Computer Journal 1977 20(4):290-295; doi:10.1093/comjnl/20.4.290
© 1977 by British Computer Society
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Huxtable, D. H. R.
Right arrow Articles by Pinkerton, J. M. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

The hardware/software interface of the ICL 2900 range of computers

D. H. R. Huxtable * and J. M. M. Pinkerton *

International Computers Limited, Lovelace Road, Bracknell, UK

The paper aims to outline those ICL 2900 hardware features that support system software. The treatment broadly is in terms of the instruction set and other hardware features. 2900 architecture provides for concurrent execution of independent in virtual machines, so that the processes are protected from mutual interference. The protection arrangements are outlined together with ways of addressing the store, for which several kinds of descriptors may be used. There are both visible and invisible hardware registers; access to the latter is privileged via a so called image store addressing mechanism. The arrangements for handling interrupts and entering procedures are outlines. Slave stores are provided for reducing store access demands for frequently accessed items. Peripheral transfers are via autonomous and asynchronous controllers activated by processes operating within a central processor. In conclusion some of the main considerations influencing design decisions are reviewed.

Received April 1977.

* International Computers Limited, Lovelace Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 4SN


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.