High Level Assembler: Update for z/Architecture.

This course covers the instructions introduced with z/Architecture.

The course is intended for:

• Assembler programmers needing to update their knowledge of available hardware instructions
• Assembler programmers who will need to move programs to the z/OS environment.

This overview comes in three parts, which are presented in sequence below:

1. Course Description
2. Course Objectives
3. Topical Outline

Course Description

Recommended Duration: 2 Days

Benefits: Students who complete this course will be able to write or maintain Assembler programs that use hardware instructions introduced with z/Architecture and related techniques introduced with z/OS.

Audience: Experienced Assembler programmers needing to update their knowledge to include hardware and Assembler instructions and techniques that have become available with z/Architecture and z/OS. Systems programmers may also benefit from this course as a first exposure to the new hardware and software.

Prerequisites: Experience writing or maintaining Assembler applications; knowledge of predecessor capabilities such as covered in course High Level Assembler: Update.

Related IBM Materials. This course is drawn from this IBM manual; access to it in the classroom is recommended but not required:

• SA22-7832 - z/Architecture Principles of Operation

Major Topics Include:

• z/Architecture overview
• z/OS overview
• Linkage and AMODE issues
• Register management: preserving left hand word values
• Register management: working with 64-bit values and 32-bit values
• Packed decimal changes: TP
• Packed decimal changes: ASCII and Unicode input and output
• Packed decimal changes: converting between packed decimal and 64-bit integer
• Binary arithmetic: halfword, fullword, doubleword data
• Binary arithmetic: arbitrarily long binary numbers
• Boolean instructions in 64-bit form
• Shifting and rotating bits in registers
• Working with data in ASCII
• Introduction to Unicode
• Working with data in Unicode
• Floating point, as it relates to interlanguage communication

Exercises: There are six hands-on exercises; four of them demonstrate using Assembler to generate HTML files from EBCDIC or ASCII inputs.

Note:
All course material is in American English. Oral explanation will be in English by default, but is also available in Dutch, German, and/or French.

This course description Copyright © 2001 by Steven H. Comstock. All rights reserved.

Course Objectives

On successful completion of this course, the student, with the aid of the appropriate reference materials, should be able to:

1. Describe the major architectural changes introduced with the z/Architecture class of mainframes
   
   
2. Write Assembler programs that use the new instructions, particularly:
   
   
   • Relative branch Long instructions
   • Instructions to set and test current addressing mode
   • Instructions to perform 64-bit binary arithmetic
   • Instruction to test packed decimal data for validity
   • Instructions that allow you to work with arbitrarily long binary numbers
   • Instructions that can set and test bits in storage and registers
   
   
3. Work with files encoded in EBCDIC, ASCII, or Unicode
   
   
4. Convert numeric values between floating point and fixed binary or packed decimal, to work more effectively in inter-language communication with programs written in C, C++, and Java.

These course objectives Copyright © 2001 by Steven H. Comstock. All rights reserved.

Topical Outline

Day One

Introduction

• z/Architecture - Hardware
• z/OS - Software
• Computer Exercise: Set up for labs

Linkage Issues - Branching and AMODE Setting

• PSW Format
• Address Calculation
• Register Format
• Loading Addresses
• Changing Addressing Modes
• Passing Control Without Switching AMODE
• Passing Control and Switching AMODE
• Switching AMODE Without Passing Control
• Testing the Current AMODE
• Running Around in AMODE-64
• Computer Exercise: Setting and Testing AMODEs

Register Management

• Storing Register Contents, Unchanged, To Memory
• Loading Memory Contents, Unchanged, Into Registers
• Move Data (unchanged) Between Registers
• Linkage Conventions
• Computer Exercise: Saving and Restoring Registers

Decimal Data

• Numeric characters - EBCDIC
• Numeric characters - ASCII
• Numeric characters - Unicode
• Zoned decimal data and signs
• Packed decimal
• PACK, PKA, PKU
• UNPK, UNPKA, UNPKU
• TP
• CVB, CVBG
• CVD, CVDG
• Computer Exercise: Packed Decimal Numbers

Day Two

Binary Arithmetic

• Halfword Binary Arithmetic
• Fullword and doubleword binary arithmetic
• Logical binary loads
• Other binary loads
• Logical binary arithmetic
• Computer Exercise: Binary Arithmetic

Boolean Instructions

• Working with bits
• OR instructions
• AND instructions
• Exclusive OR instructions
• Test under mask instructions
• Load and test instructions

Shifting and Rotating - Bits in Registers

• Shift Instructions
• Grande Shifts
• Shift Instruction Processing
• Rotate Instructions

Working With Character Strings in IBM Mainframes

• Working With Character Strings in IBM Mainframes
• Interruptible Instructions
• CPU-Determined Unit of Processing
• More Instructions for Working With Character Strings in IBM Mainframes

Working With ASCII Data in z/OS

• Encoding Schemes
• Working With ASCII Data in IBM Mainframes
• Big Endian and Little Endian
• Load Reversed
• Store Reversed
• Working With ASCII Data, continued
• Computer Exercise: Supporting ASCII Data

Introduction to Unicode

• Characters
• Characters, Glyphs, and Fonts
• Coding Schemes
• Codepages
• Standards
• Unicode

Working With Unicode Data in z/Architecture

• CUUTF, CUTFU
• CLCLU, MVCLU
• TROO, TROT, TRTO, TRTT

Floating Point and Assembler

• Floating Point Formats
• Floating Point Instructions: Load Instructions
• Floating Point Instructions: Store Instructions
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert BFP to HFP
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert HFP to BFP
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert Fixed to HFP
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert HFP to Fixed
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert Fixed to BFP
• Floating Point Instructions: Convert BFP to Fixed

This topical outline Copyright © 2001 by Steven H. Comstock. All rights reserved.

Remarks? Questions? More information? Select the topic of your choice or e-mail us with your questions.

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