Data General Corporation

Stephen I Schleimer

Craig J Mundie

Steven J Wallach

Richard G Bratt

Gerald F Clancy

David H Bernstein

Edward S Gavrin

Walter A Wallach, Jr

Ronald H Gruner

Michael S Richmond

John F Pilat

Thomas M Jones

Richard A Belgard

Brett L Bachman

John K Ahlstrom

Lawrence H Katz

David A Farber

Douglas M Wells

James T Nealon

Douglas M Well

A universal addressing system for use in a digital data processing system including a universal memory for storing data including instructions and at least one local system having access to the universal memory. The universal memory is organized into objects, and each item of data is associated with an object. Each object is specified by a unique identifier, and data is addressed by means of a logical address which specifies the UID of the object containing the data and the offset of the data in the object. A processor in the local system responds to instructions by providing memory operation specifiers to the universal memory. Each memory operation specifier specifies a memory operation and a logical address. The offset in the logical address may specify any bit in the object. The memory operation specifier also specifies a length in bits. The universal memory responds to the memory operation specifier by performing the operation specified by the memory operation specifier on the data item beginning at the location specified by the logical address and containing the specified number of bits.

Universal addressing system for a digital data processing system

A digital computer system having a memory system organized into objects for storing data and a processor for processing data in response to instructions. An object identifier and an access control list are associated with each object. The memory system responds to logical addresses for data which specify the object containing the data and the offset of the data in the object and to a current subject for which the processor is referencing the data. The memory system performs a memory operation for the processor only if the access control list for the object specified by the logical address allows the current subject to perform the desired memory operation. The objects include procedure objects and data objects. The procedure objects contain procedures including the instructions and name tables associated with the procedures. The instructions contain operations codes and names representing data. Each name corresponds to a name table entry in the name table associated with the procedure. The name table for a name contains information from which the processor may derive the logical address for the data represented by the name. The processor may then use the logical address to specify a memory operation on the data represented by the name.

Digital computer system incorporating object-based addressing and access

A digital computer system having a memory system organized into procedure and data objects, each having a unique identifier code and an access control list, for storing items of information and a processor for processing data in response to instructions. The instructions contain operation codes and names representing data. Each name corresponds to a name table entry in a name table which contains information from which the processor determines the location and the format for the data. The name table entry specifies a base address of one of a set thereof which change value only when a call or a return instruction is executed. A name interpretation system fetches a name table entry, calculates the base address and a displacement using the name table entry and the current architectural base address and adds the base address to the displacement to form the address of the data represented by the name.

Digital data processing system having a uniquely organized memory system

A digital data processing system including a processor and memory and employing object addressing. The digital data processing system further includes a system for organizing the system's memory into objects and a system for operating the memory. The memory organization system associates each item of data stored in the memory with an object and each object with an object identifier. The memory operation system performs memory operations on items of data in response to memory operation specifiers received from the processor. The location of a data item upon which a memory operation is to be performed is specified by a logical address. Each logical address contains an object number which is temporarily associated with one object identifier and an offset specifying a location in the object identified by the object identifier currently associated with the object number. The memory operation system includes a single object table which specifies the current temporary associations between object numbers and universal addresses and an object identifier conversion system which establishes the temporary associations in the object table and obtains the object identifiers associated with the object numbers. Also disclosed are object tables in digital data processing systems of the present invention involving a single memory and multiple processors and pointers and pointer to logical address conversion means in digital data processing systems of the present invention.

Digital data processing system employing an object-based addressing

A digital computer system having a memory system organized into objects for storing items of information and a processor for processing data in response to instructions. An object identifier code is associated with each object. The objects include procedure objects and data objects. The procedure objects contain procedures including the instructions and name tables associated with the procedures. The instructions contain operation codes and names representing data. Each name corresponds to a name table entry in the name table associated with the procedure. The name table for a name contains information from which the processor may determine the location and the format for the data (e.g., an operand) represented by the name.

A digital computer system having a memory system organized into objects for storing data and a processor for processing data in response to instructions. An object identifier is associated with each object. The memory system responds to logical addresses for data which specify the object containing the data and the offset of the data in the object. The objects include procedure objects and data objects. The procedure objects contain procedures including the instructions. Each instruction contains an operation code which belongs to one of several sets of operation codes. All instructions in a single procedure belong to a single operation code set, and associated with each procedure is an operation code set identifier specifying the operation code set to which the instructions in the procedure belongs. Operation codes are decoded in the processor in response to both the operation code and a dialect value representing the operation code set identifier for the operation code set to which the operation code belongs. The dialect value changes only on execution of a call operation or a return operation.

Digital data processing system incorporating object-based addressing and

An access control system for use in a digital computer system wherein the memory system is organized into objects, a data item is locatable by specifying an object, instructions are contained in procedures, and the operations performed by the system include a call operation for suspending an execution of a procedure and commencing another execution and a return operation for terminating an execution and resuming a suspended execution. The access control system associates each procedure with a domain, i.e., a set of objects accessible to the procedure. The access control system further includes a secure stack object which is accessible only to the access control system. When a call operation commences execution of a procedure which has a different domain, the access control system responds to the call operation by storing information required to return to the current domain in the secure stack. When a return operation resumes execution of a procedure which has a different domain, the access control system responds to the call operation by using the information in the secure stack to return to the previous domain.

Access control system for use in a digital computer system with

A digital computer system in which data storage is referred to by a descriptor comprising an object number denoting a variable-length block of storage, an offset indicating how far into that block a desired data item begins, and a length field denoting the length of the desired data item. Separate means exist for manipulating each of the three descriptor portions, thus facilitating repetitive operations on related or contiguous operands. Various levels of microcode control are included. Each level of microcode control has its own stack, facilitating interrupts between levels. Stacks are duplicated in 'secure stacks' in memory to protect against loss of state data from the stacks.

Digital data processing system with tripartite description-based

A digital data processing system has a memory organized into objects containing at least operands and instructions. Each object is identified by a unique and permanent identifier code which identifies the data processing system and the object. The system uses a protection technique to prevent unauthorized access to objects by users who are identified by a subject number which identifies the user, a process of the system for executing a user's procedure, and the type of operation of the system to be performed by the user's procedure. An access control list for each object includes an access control list entry for each subject having access rights to the object and means for confirming that a particular active subject has access rights to a particular object before permitting access to the object. The system also includes stacks for containing information relating to the current state of execution of the system.

Data processing system having a memory using object-based information

A digital computer system in which data operands are represented by names. Each procedure includes a name table, and means are provided to employ the name table to resolve the names into storage addresses at run time. The system also has the ability to run any of a plurality of S-Languages (an S-Language being conceptually similar to a machine language but of higher order); each S-Language can be optimally tailored to a high-order user language. Each procedure includes a dialect code which indicates the dialect of S-Language to which the instructions in the current procedure belong, and the system has provision to execute each procedure accordingly.

Digital computer system having unique means of referring to operands and

A digital computer system including a memory and a processor. The memory operates in response to memory commands received from the processor. Items of data stored in the memory include instructions to which the processor responds. Each instruction contains an operation code which belongs to one of several sets of operation codes. The meaning of a given operation code is determined by the operation code set to which the instruction belongs. Some of the instructions also contain names representing items of data used in the operation specified by the operation code. The processor includes an operation code decoding system which decodes the operation code as required for the instruction set to which it belongs, a name resolution system for deriving the address of the data item represented by a name from the name using an architectural base address contained in the name resolution system, and a control system which controls the operation of the processor. The processor performs a call operation and a return operation. Only the call operation and the return operation may change the current architectural base address. The memory further contains name table entries associated with the names. Each name table entry contains information used by the name resolution system when it resolves a name.

Digital computer system including apparatus for resolving names

A digital computer uses a memory which is structured into objects, which are blocks of storage of arbitrary length, in which data items are accessed by descriptors which for a desired data item specify the object, the offset into that object, and the length of the data object. The computer system of the present invention further provides the ability to execute any of a plurality of dialects of internal instructions, the repertoire of such dialects being virtually infinite, since there is the ability to load a supporting microcode during operation as needed.

Digital computer system having descriptors for variable length

A digital computer system having a memory for storing and providing data including instructions and a processor for processing data in response to the instructions and providing memory operation specifiers to the memory which specify an address of a data item and the memory operation to be performed on it. The instructions in the digital computer system include operation codes belonging to more than one set of operation codes and names representing items to be processed in the operation specified by the operation code. The data in memory further includes name table entries. Each name table entry corresponds to a name and contains information specifying the address of the item represented by the name. The processor includes apparatus for decoding each operation code in response to the operation code and to a dialect value contained in the decoding apparatus which specifies which operation code set the operation code being decoded belongs to. The processor further includes apparatus for processing names by resolving them to produce the addresses specified by their corresponding name table entries and control apparatus responsive to the instruction decoding apparatus and the name processing apparatus for controlling the processor and providing memory operation specifiers containing the addresses produced by the name processing means to the memory.

Digital data processing system for executing instructions containing

A digital data processing system has a memory organized into objects containing at least operands and instructions. Each object is identified by a unique and permanent identifier code which identifies the data processing system and the object. The system utilizes unique addressing mechanisms the addresses of which have object fields, offset fields and length fields for specifying the location and the total number of bits of an addressed object. The system uses a protection technique to prevent unauthorized access to objects by users who are identified by a subject number which identifies the user, a process of the system for executing the user's procedure, and the type of operation of the system to be performed by the user's procedure. An access control list for each object includes an access control list entry for each subject having access rights to the object and means for confirming that a particular active subject has access rights to a particular object before permitting access to the object.

Data processing system having addressing mechanisms for processing

A digital data processing system has a memory organized into objects containing at least operands and instructions. Each object is identified by a unique and permanent identifier code which identifies the data processing system and the object. The system further uses multilevel microcode techniques for controlling sequences of microinstructions and for controlling the interval operations of the processor. The system uses a protection technique to prevent unauthorized access to objects by users who are identified by a subject number which identifies the user, a process of the system for executing a user's procedure, and the type of operation of the system to be performed by the user's procedure. An access control list for each object includes an access control list entry for each subject having access rights to the object and means for confirming that a particular active subject has access rights to a particular object before permitting access to the object. The system also includes stacks for containing information relating to the current state of execution of the system.

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Stephen I Schleimer