21MX proms (per request

[Glen Slick]

On Sun, Sep 13, 2015 at 7:44 PM, J. David Bryan <jdbryan at acm.org> wrote:
> On Sunday, September 13, 2015 at 8:42, Jay West wrote:
>
>> 3) Any I/O instructions in the loader are automatically patched during
>> the transfer (based on switch register bits 11 through 6) so that the
>> correct I/O address (device) is referenced.
>
> It's actually a bit more nuanced than this.  What occurs is:
>
>  3a) Except for halt instructions, any I/O instruction referencing select
>      code 10 (octal) or greater is patched by adding the select code
>      value in the switch register minus 10.
>
> This means that (a) halt instructions, which are in the I/O group, are not
> altered, (b) DCPC I/O instructions, which reference select codes 2, 3, 6,
> or 7 are not altered, and (c) interfaces that use two select codes, e.g.,
> the 7900 disc interface, get both select codes updated properly.  It also
> implies that all loaders are written to reference select code 10 (or 10 and
> 11, etc.).
>
>  3b) The two's-complement of the memory address of the first word of the
>      loader is stored in the last word in memory.
>
> This is so that loaders can check that what they are loading does not
> overwrite the loader itself.  For example, the paper tape loader does a HLT
> 55 if the absolute binary tape contains a record that would overlay the
> loader executable code.
>
>  3c) The contents of the penultimate memory location is patched by adding
>      the select code value in the switch register minus 10.
>
> This is used to patch the select code into an optional DCPC control word,
> which is a constant and not an I/O instruction and so wouldn't be patched
> by (3a).  Loaders that use DCPC, e.g., the disc loaders, place their DCPC
> control word at this location.
>
> There's actually quite a lot going on under the hood for that IBL button
> press.
>
>                                       -- Dave
>

For the curious the source code for the Initial Binary Loader
microcode is listed on pages D-16 and D-17 of this manual:

http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/hp/1000/1000_MEF_EngrRef/92851-90001_Mar81_1.1.pdf

It is reasonably well commented, but still not completely obvious
exactly what and why it is doing what it is doing without something
like Dave's explanation above.