IA-32 Processor Architecture Overview
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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of a comment in an assembly instruction?

  • To provide clarity and description for the instruction. (correct)
  • To terminate the instruction.
  • To perform a memory operation.
  • To indicate the instruction's operand.

What is the correct sequence of steps for creating an executable program from source code?

  • Edit, debug, link, assemble.
  • Assemble, edit, link, debug.
  • Edit, assemble, link, debug. (correct)
  • Debug, assemble, edit, link.

What does the linker do in the program development process?

  • Combines object files and libraries to create an executable. (correct)
  • Translates the assembly code into machine code.
  • Creates the assembly source code from machine code.
  • Generates a symbol table for the assembler.

What type of file does the assembler create from the source assembly file?

<p>Object file (.obj) (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about instruction mnemonics is true?

<p>Mnemonics have names that represent instructions like mov and add. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What directive should replace the INCLUDE directive for the ExitProcess function?

<p>PROTO (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What purpose does the PROTO directive serve in an assembly program?

<p>To declare functions defined outside the program (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When linking the program, which library is addsub.obj linked to because of the ExitProcess function?

<p>kernel32.lib (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which directive is responsible for marking the end of an assembly program?

<p>END (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What resultant files are produced after the program is assembled?

<p>.obj and .lst files (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens after removing the INCLUDE directive in the assembly program?

<p>It must be replaced with appropriate directives. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the EIP register in assembly programming?

<p>Holds the address of the next instruction to be executed (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What types of files does the linker generate during the linking process?

<p>.exe files (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the /debug option do when used with the linker?

<p>It creates debugging information in the executable file. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What command should be typed in the Command Prompt to run the Windows Debugger for the addsub.exe program?

<p>windbg -QY -G addsub.exe (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which key combination is used to step through the execution of the main procedure in the Windows Debugger?

<p>F10 (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when you replace the exit macro with 'push 0' and 'call ExitProcess'?

<p>It properly terminates the program with a return code. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is required to customize the register display in the Windows Debugger?

<p>Use the Customize button to adjust order. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why should the Irvine32.inc file not be included when replacing the exit macro?

<p>The exit macro is not being used anymore. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What should you observe in the EAX register during debugging?

<p>It changes after executing each instruction. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the command INVOKE ExitProcess, 0 essentially translate to in assembly language?

<p>push 0; call ExitProcess (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Linker options (/debug and /map)

Linker options used to add debugging information (/debug) and generate a map file (/map) in the executable.

make32.bat

A batch file used for assembling and linking 32-bit programs; simplifies compilation process.

windbg

A Windows debugger used to step through and examine a program's execution.

EAX register

A general-purpose register frequently used to store results in an assembly program.

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program termination

The process for ending a program's execution.

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ExitProcess function

A function in the kernel32 library used to end the execution of the process.

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push 0

Instruction used to place the value zero onto the stack.

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call ExitProcess

Instruction used to call the ExitProcess function to end program execution

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ExitProcess PROTO

Declares the external function ExitProcess used by a program.

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32-bit memory address

A memory location identified by a 32-bit value.

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PROTO directive

Declares external procedures specifying types and parameter(s).

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INCLUDE directive

Includes external code into the current program.

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32-bit general-purpose registers

Registers EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDI, EBP, ESP used for various calculations and data manipulation.

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Assembly Language Instructions

Basic commands in assembly language that tell the computer what to do. They have names like 'mov', 'add', 'sub', 'jmp', and 'call'.

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Operands

Values or addresses that an instruction works on. They can be registers, memory locations, constants, or I/O ports.

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Assembler

A program that translates assembly language code into machine-readable instructions.

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Linker

Combines multiple compiled modules (.obj files) to produce a single executable program (.exe file).

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Object (.obj) File

The output of the assembler, containing machine language instructions but not yet fully executable.

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Study Notes

IA-32 Processor Architecture

  • Intel introduced the 8086 processor in 1979
  • 20-bit address bus, 16-bit data bus
  • Maximum physical memory: 1MB
  • Used segmentation to address memory
  • Segment size restricted to 64KB
  • Later IA-32 (32-bit) processors address up to 4GB of memory

Basic Program Execution Registers

  • Eight 32-bit general-purpose registers (EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDI, EBP, ESP)
  • 32-bit register holds processor flags (EFLAGS)
  • 32-bit instruction pointer (EIP)
  • General purpose registers used for arithmetic and data movement
  • Registers can be 32-bit or 16-bit (e.g., AX is a 16-bit register, and can also be addressed as AH and AL)

FLAT Memory Model and Protected-Address Mode

  • Used in 32-bit operating systems
  • Addresses up to 4GB of memory
  • All code and data in a single 32-bit address space
  • Linear 32-bit addresses used to access program instructions and data in memory

FLAT Memory Model Program Template

  • Template for assembly language programs includes executable instructions, assembler directives, and macros
  • Title line (optional), line comments (optional and crucial for understanding), other directives
  • Defines code and data sections, variable declarations
  • Example includes .686, .MODEL FLAT, STDCALL, .STACK, INCLUDE Irvine32.inc, .DATA (variables), .CODE (main procedure, instructions) exit, END main
  • main PROC and main ENDP define the main procedure.

Assembling, Linking, and Debugging Programs

  • Use ML.exe to assemble source code to object (.obj) file
  • Use LINK32.exe to link object code with libraries to produce executable (.exe)
  • Debuggers allow tracing and examination of program execution and modification
  • Example commands (ML, LINK32, windbg with addsub.asm)

Review Questions

  • Names of 32-bit, 16-bit, and 8-bit general-purpose registers
  • Purposes of EAX, EIP, ESP registers
  • Memory address bits in FLAT memory model
  • Purpose and use of INCLUDE, .CODE, END, PROTO directives
  • Types of files made by assembler and linker

Programming Exercises

  • Program to sum four integers in EAX, EBX, ECX, and EDX registers and trace
  • Rewrite previous program using AX, BX, CX, and DX registers.

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Description

This quiz covers the key concepts of IA-32 processor architecture, including the introduction of the 8086 processor and its memory addressing capabilities. It also delves into basic program execution registers and the flat memory model used in 32-bit operating systems. Test your knowledge on the essential components and functionality of IA-32 processors.

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