Machine-Level Programming I: Basics - Study Notes
Lecture Overview
- History of Intel processors and architectures
- C, assembly, and machine code
- Assembly basics (registers, operands, mov)
- Introduction to x86-64 architecture
Intel Processor Evolution
x86 Dominance:
- CISC architecture, backward compatible to 8086
- Intel succeeded in speed despite RISC competition
Milestones:
| Name | Year | Transistors | MHz | Notes |
|------------|------|-------------|------------|--------------------------------------|
| 8086 | 1978 | 29K | 5-10 | First 16-bit, IBM PC & DOS |
| 386 | 1985 | 275K | 16-33 | 32-bit IA32, Unix support |
| Pentium 4F | 2004 | 125M | 2800-3800 | First 64-bit x86-64 |
| Core i7 | 2008 | 731M | 2667-3333 | Used in CMU labs |
IA vs Microarchitecture:
- ISA: programmer-visible components
- Microarchitecture: implementation details like cache, frequency
CPU Programmer's View:
- PC: EIP (IA32) or RIP (x86-64)
- Registers for data, Condition codes for branching
- Memory: Byte-addressable, stack, user & OS data
From C to Machine Code:
- Compile -> .s (assembly) -> .o (object) -> executable
Example:
C: int sum(int x, int y) { return x + y; }
Assembly:
pushl %ebp
movl %esp, %ebp
movl 12(%ebp), %eax
addl 8(%ebp), %eax
popl %ebp
ret
Data Types:
- Integers: 1, 2, 4 bytes
- Floats: 4, 8, 10 bytes
- No arrays/structs: use contiguous memory
Operations:
- Arithmetic, data transfer (mov), jumps, branches
Registers:
