Method and apparatus for initiating the execution of instructions using

Abstract

A method and a central execution pipeline unit for initiating the execution of instructions of a synchronous central processor unit (CPU) of a general-purpose digital data processing system. Instructions containing address information and an instruction field are obtained in program order from an instruction fetch unit of the CPU. In a first stage, requiring one clock period, the address information of an instruction is utilized to form the carrys and sums of an effective address and to initiate the formation of a virtual address. Concurrently, the instruction field is decoded to produce memory command signals and data alignment signals. In a second stage, the formation of the effective and virtual addresses initiated in the first stage is completed, and the word address portion of the virtual address is transmitted to the cache unit of the CPU. Also during the second stage, memory command signals are sent to the cache unit and the instruction field is converted to an execution code for one of a plurality of execution units, and the execution unit to execute the code is designated. In a third stage, the virtual address is converted to a physical address, or real page number, which is transmitted to the cache unit. The execution code is sent to the designated execution unit; however, if the execution unit is the central unit, the execution unit is the central unit, the execution code for that unit is converted into execution unit control signals. In the fourth stage, data alignment control signals are sent to a distributor of the central execution pipeline unit.