Registers in PA-RISC Systems

Text version.

R0	=	bit bucket and source of zero value
R1	=	target of ADDIL (Add Immediate Literal)
R2	=	RP Return Pointer where BL places address and where BV gets it
R23	=	fourth parameter of a procedure call
R24	=	third parameter of a procedure call
R25	=	second parameter of a procedure call
R26	=	first parameter of a procedure call
R27	=	DP Data Pointer to base of global data
R28-29	=	function result in R28 if 32-bits, both if 64-bits
R30	=	SP Stack Pointer to parameters and exit data
R31	=	receives target branch address in BLE instruction

If a procedure has more than four parameters, the rest are passed in the stack. The fifth is usually at [SP-$32] or [SP-$34]. On MPE, see the Cseq calling sequence utility. For registers to address virtual memory, they must be combined explicitly or implicitly with a space register.

Space Registers

Text version.

SR 0	=	return address of inter-space procedure calls
SR 1	=	Temporary use for constructing long pointers
SR 2	=	Temporary use for constructing long pointers
SR 3	=	Temporary use for constructing long pointers
SR 4	=	Code space
SR 5	=	process private data: stack and heap
SR 6	=	Shared data
SR 7	=	System public code, literals, and data

The machine instructions specify a Space Register when referencing code or data in memory. In the LDW 1000(0,27),10 instruction, the Space Id is 0, the Offset is Base Register 27 plus Displacement 1000, and the Target is register 10. Space Id 0 is a special case where the Space Register is computed as 4 plus the first 2 bits of the value in the Base Register. For user data, those bits are usually 1, specifying SR5. Since two bits of the offset have been consumed, this type of address can only access a Quadrant, not a full 4-gigabyte space.