Guide to Cell/B.E. Programming Documentation
© 2008 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Version 1.0, August 2008
Page 11 of 16
PPE Programming Documents
PowerPC Microprocessor Family: The Programming Environments Manual for 64-Bit
Microprocessors
Cell Broadband Engine Public Information and Downloads
657 pages.
Audience
Assembly-language programmers writing application or system programs for the PPE.
Content
An in-depth description of the 64-bit PowerPC Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), which is implemented by the PPE. The
manual describes all of the user-level and supervisor-level instructions and software-visible resources.
Recommended Use
Browse after readings of the
and refer to it thereafter as needed during coding of PPE
applications.
Document Sections
The document has the following sections:
1.
Overview:
Summarizes the PowerPC ISA.
2.
PowerPC Register Set:
The software-related details about how registers operate.
3.
Operand Conventions:
Conventions for storing values in registers and memory, accessing registers, representing
data in registers, floating-point data formats, and exception conditions.
4.
Addressing Modes and Instruction Set Summary:
A summary of instructions and addressing modes for integer,
floating-point, load-store, flow control, processor control, memory synchronization, and external control
operations.
5.
Cache Model and Memory Coherency:
The cache model, built-in architectural controls for maintaining memory
coherency, cache-control instructions, and special concerns for memory coherency in single-processor and
multiprocessor systems.
6.
Exceptions:
The way in which the PPE implements exceptions (also called “interrupts”).
7.
Memory Management:
Memory management unit (MMU) functions.
8.
Instruction Set:
Detailed descriptions of the 64-bit PowerPC instructions.
There are also appendices describing multiple-precision shifts, floating-point models, synchronization programming
examples, and simplified mnemonics.
Recommended Prerequisites
Read or browse:
Further Details
See:
SIMD Math Library Specification for CBE Architecture
The PowerPC™ Compiler Writer’s Guide
