1 @c Copyright 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001,
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c This is part of the GAS manual.
5 @c For copying conditions, see the file as.texinfo.
9 @chapter MIPS Dependent Features
12 @node Machine Dependencies
13 @chapter MIPS Dependent Features
16 @cindex MIPS processor
17 @sc{gnu} @code{@value{AS}} for @sc{mips} architectures supports several
18 different @sc{mips} processors, and MIPS ISA levels I through V, MIPS32,
19 and MIPS64. For information about the @sc{mips} instruction set, see
20 @cite{MIPS RISC Architecture}, by Kane and Heindrich (Prentice-Hall).
21 For an overview of @sc{mips} assembly conventions, see ``Appendix D:
22 Assembly Language Programming'' in the same work.
25 * MIPS Opts:: Assembler options
26 * MIPS Object:: ECOFF object code
27 * MIPS Stabs:: Directives for debugging information
28 * MIPS ISA:: Directives to override the ISA level
29 * MIPS autoextend:: Directives for extending MIPS 16 bit instructions
30 * MIPS insn:: Directive to mark data as an instruction
31 * MIPS option stack:: Directives to save and restore options
32 * MIPS ASE instruction generation overrides:: Directives to control
33 generation of MIPS ASE instructions
37 @section Assembler options
39 The @sc{mips} configurations of @sc{gnu} @code{@value{AS}} support these
43 @cindex @code{-G} option (MIPS)
45 This option sets the largest size of an object that can be referenced
46 implicitly with the @code{gp} register. It is only accepted for targets
47 that use @sc{ecoff} format. The default value is 8.
49 @cindex @code{-EB} option (MIPS)
50 @cindex @code{-EL} option (MIPS)
51 @cindex MIPS big-endian output
52 @cindex MIPS little-endian output
53 @cindex big-endian output, MIPS
54 @cindex little-endian output, MIPS
57 Any @sc{mips} configuration of @code{@value{AS}} can select big-endian or
58 little-endian output at run time (unlike the other @sc{gnu} development
59 tools, which must be configured for one or the other). Use @samp{-EB}
60 to select big-endian output, and @samp{-EL} for little-endian.
62 @cindex MIPS architecture options
72 Generate code for a particular MIPS Instruction Set Architecture level.
73 @samp{-mips1} corresponds to the @sc{r2000} and @sc{r3000} processors,
74 @samp{-mips2} to the @sc{r6000} processor, @samp{-mips3} to the
75 @sc{r4000} processor, and @samp{-mips4} to the @sc{r8000} and
76 @sc{r10000} processors. @samp{-mips5}, @samp{-mips32}, @samp{-mips32r2},
77 @samp{-mips64}, and @samp{-mips64r2}
79 @sc{MIPS V}, @sc{MIPS32}, @sc{MIPS32 Release 2}, @sc{MIPS64},
80 and @sc{MIPS64 Release 2}
81 ISA processors, respectively. You can also switch
82 instruction sets during the assembly; see @ref{MIPS ISA, Directives to
83 override the ISA level}.
87 Some macros have different expansions for 32-bit and 64-bit registers.
88 The register sizes are normally inferred from the ISA and ABI, but these
89 flags force a certain group of registers to be treated as 32 bits wide at
90 all times. @samp{-mgp32} controls the size of general-purpose registers
91 and @samp{-mfp32} controls the size of floating-point registers.
93 On some MIPS variants there is a 32-bit mode flag; when this flag is
94 set, 64-bit instructions generate a trap. Also, some 32-bit OSes only
95 save the 32-bit registers on a context switch, so it is essential never
96 to use the 64-bit registers.
99 Assume that 64-bit general purpose registers are available. This is
100 provided in the interests of symmetry with -gp32.
104 Generate code for the MIPS 16 processor. This is equivalent to putting
105 @samp{.set mips16} at the start of the assembly file. @samp{-no-mips16}
106 turns off this option.
110 Generate code for the MIPS-3D Application Specific Extension.
111 This tells the assembler to accept MIPS-3D instructions.
112 @samp{-no-mips3d} turns off this option.
116 Generate code for the MDMX Application Specific Extension.
117 This tells the assembler to accept MDMX instructions.
118 @samp{-no-mdmx} turns off this option.
122 Cause nops to be inserted if the read of the destination register
123 of an mfhi or mflo instruction occurs in the following two instructions.
126 @itemx -no-mfix-vr4120
127 Insert nops to work around certain VR4120 errata. This option is
128 intended to be used on GCC-generated code: it is not designed to catch
129 all problems in hand-written assembler code.
133 Generate code for the LSI @sc{r4010} chip. This tells the assembler to
134 accept the @sc{r4010} specific instructions (@samp{addciu}, @samp{ffc},
135 etc.), and to not schedule @samp{nop} instructions around accesses to
136 the @samp{HI} and @samp{LO} registers. @samp{-no-m4010} turns off this
141 Generate code for the MIPS @sc{r4650} chip. This tells the assembler to accept
142 the @samp{mad} and @samp{madu} instruction, and to not schedule @samp{nop}
143 instructions around accesses to the @samp{HI} and @samp{LO} registers.
144 @samp{-no-m4650} turns off this option.
150 For each option @samp{-m@var{nnnn}}, generate code for the MIPS
151 @sc{r@var{nnnn}} chip. This tells the assembler to accept instructions
152 specific to that chip, and to schedule for that chip's hazards.
154 @item -march=@var{cpu}
155 Generate code for a particular MIPS cpu. It is exactly equivalent to
156 @samp{-m@var{cpu}}, except that there are more value of @var{cpu}
157 understood. Valid @var{cpu} value are:
192 @item -mtune=@var{cpu}
193 Schedule and tune for a particular MIPS cpu. Valid @var{cpu} values are
194 identical to @samp{-march=@var{cpu}}.
196 @item -mabi=@var{abi}
197 Record which ABI the source code uses. The recognized arguments
198 are: @samp{32}, @samp{n32}, @samp{o64}, @samp{64} and @samp{eabi}.
200 @cindex @code{-nocpp} ignored (MIPS)
202 This option is ignored. It is accepted for command-line compatibility with
203 other assemblers, which use it to turn off C style preprocessing. With
204 @sc{gnu} @code{@value{AS}}, there is no need for @samp{-nocpp}, because the
205 @sc{gnu} assembler itself never runs the C preprocessor.
207 @item --construct-floats
208 @itemx --no-construct-floats
209 @cindex --construct-floats
210 @cindex --no-construct-floats
211 The @code{--no-construct-floats} option disables the construction of
212 double width floating point constants by loading the two halves of the
213 value into the two single width floating point registers that make up
214 the double width register. This feature is useful if the processor
215 support the FR bit in its status register, and this bit is known (by
216 the programmer) to be set. This bit prevents the aliasing of the double
217 width register by the single width registers.
219 By default @code{--construct-floats} is selected, allowing construction
220 of these floating point constants.
224 @c FIXME! (1) reflect these options (next item too) in option summaries;
225 @c (2) stop teasing, say _which_ instructions expanded _how_.
226 @code{@value{AS}} automatically macro expands certain division and
227 multiplication instructions to check for overflow and division by zero. This
228 option causes @code{@value{AS}} to generate code to take a trap exception
229 rather than a break exception when an error is detected. The trap instructions
230 are only supported at Instruction Set Architecture level 2 and higher.
234 Generate code to take a break exception rather than a trap exception when an
235 error is detected. This is the default.
239 Control generation of @code{.pdr} sections. Off by default on IRIX, on
244 @section MIPS ECOFF object code
246 @cindex ECOFF sections
247 @cindex MIPS ECOFF sections
248 Assembling for a @sc{mips} @sc{ecoff} target supports some additional sections
249 besides the usual @code{.text}, @code{.data} and @code{.bss}. The
250 additional sections are @code{.rdata}, used for read-only data,
251 @code{.sdata}, used for small data, and @code{.sbss}, used for small
254 @cindex small objects, MIPS ECOFF
255 @cindex @code{gp} register, MIPS
256 When assembling for @sc{ecoff}, the assembler uses the @code{$gp} (@code{$28})
257 register to form the address of a ``small object''. Any object in the
258 @code{.sdata} or @code{.sbss} sections is considered ``small'' in this sense.
259 For external objects, or for objects in the @code{.bss} section, you can use
260 the @code{@value{GCC}} @samp{-G} option to control the size of objects addressed via
261 @code{$gp}; the default value is 8, meaning that a reference to any object
262 eight bytes or smaller uses @code{$gp}. Passing @samp{-G 0} to
263 @code{@value{AS}} prevents it from using the @code{$gp} register on the basis
264 of object size (but the assembler uses @code{$gp} for objects in @code{.sdata}
265 or @code{sbss} in any case). The size of an object in the @code{.bss} section
266 is set by the @code{.comm} or @code{.lcomm} directive that defines it. The
267 size of an external object may be set with the @code{.extern} directive. For
268 example, @samp{.extern sym,4} declares that the object at @code{sym} is 4 bytes
269 in length, whie leaving @code{sym} otherwise undefined.
271 Using small @sc{ecoff} objects requires linker support, and assumes that the
272 @code{$gp} register is correctly initialized (normally done automatically by
273 the startup code). @sc{mips} @sc{ecoff} assembly code must not modify the
277 @section Directives for debugging information
279 @cindex MIPS debugging directives
280 @sc{mips} @sc{ecoff} @code{@value{AS}} supports several directives used for
281 generating debugging information which are not support by traditional @sc{mips}
282 assemblers. These are @code{.def}, @code{.endef}, @code{.dim}, @code{.file},
283 @code{.scl}, @code{.size}, @code{.tag}, @code{.type}, @code{.val},
284 @code{.stabd}, @code{.stabn}, and @code{.stabs}. The debugging information
285 generated by the three @code{.stab} directives can only be read by @sc{gdb},
286 not by traditional @sc{mips} debuggers (this enhancement is required to fully
287 support C++ debugging). These directives are primarily used by compilers, not
288 assembly language programmers!
291 @section Directives to override the ISA level
293 @cindex MIPS ISA override
294 @kindex @code{.set mips@var{n}}
295 @sc{gnu} @code{@value{AS}} supports an additional directive to change
296 the @sc{mips} Instruction Set Architecture level on the fly: @code{.set
297 mips@var{n}}. @var{n} should be a number from 0 to 5, or 32, 32r2, 64
299 The values other than 0 make the assembler accept instructions
300 for the corresponding @sc{isa} level, from that point on in the
301 assembly. @code{.set mips@var{n}} affects not only which instructions
302 are permitted, but also how certain macros are expanded. @code{.set
303 mips0} restores the @sc{isa} level to its original level: either the
304 level you selected with command line options, or the default for your
305 configuration. You can use this feature to permit specific @sc{r4000}
306 instructions while assembling in 32 bit mode. Use this directive with
309 The directive @samp{.set mips16} puts the assembler into MIPS 16 mode,
310 in which it will assemble instructions for the MIPS 16 processor. Use
311 @samp{.set nomips16} to return to normal 32 bit mode.
313 Traditional @sc{mips} assemblers do not support this directive.
315 @node MIPS autoextend
316 @section Directives for extending MIPS 16 bit instructions
318 @kindex @code{.set autoextend}
319 @kindex @code{.set noautoextend}
320 By default, MIPS 16 instructions are automatically extended to 32 bits
321 when necessary. The directive @samp{.set noautoextend} will turn this
322 off. When @samp{.set noautoextend} is in effect, any 32 bit instruction
323 must be explicitly extended with the @samp{.e} modifier (e.g.,
324 @samp{li.e $4,1000}). The directive @samp{.set autoextend} may be used
325 to once again automatically extend instructions when necessary.
327 This directive is only meaningful when in MIPS 16 mode. Traditional
328 @sc{mips} assemblers do not support this directive.
331 @section Directive to mark data as an instruction
334 The @code{.insn} directive tells @code{@value{AS}} that the following
335 data is actually instructions. This makes a difference in MIPS 16 mode:
336 when loading the address of a label which precedes instructions,
337 @code{@value{AS}} automatically adds 1 to the value, so that jumping to
338 the loaded address will do the right thing.
340 @node MIPS option stack
341 @section Directives to save and restore options
343 @cindex MIPS option stack
344 @kindex @code{.set push}
345 @kindex @code{.set pop}
346 The directives @code{.set push} and @code{.set pop} may be used to save
347 and restore the current settings for all the options which are
348 controlled by @code{.set}. The @code{.set push} directive saves the
349 current settings on a stack. The @code{.set pop} directive pops the
350 stack and restores the settings.
352 These directives can be useful inside an macro which must change an
353 option such as the ISA level or instruction reordering but does not want
354 to change the state of the code which invoked the macro.
356 Traditional @sc{mips} assemblers do not support these directives.
358 @node MIPS ASE instruction generation overrides
359 @section Directives to control generation of MIPS ASE instructions
361 @cindex MIPS MIPS-3D instruction generation override
362 @kindex @code{.set mips3d}
363 @kindex @code{.set nomips3d}
364 The directive @code{.set mips3d} makes the assembler accept instructions
365 from the MIPS-3D Application Specific Extension from that point on
366 in the assembly. The @code{.set nomips3d} directive prevents MIPS-3D
367 instructions from being accepted.
369 @cindex MIPS MDMX instruction generation override
370 @kindex @code{.set mdmx}
371 @kindex @code{.set nomdmx}
372 The directive @code{.set mdmx} makes the assembler accept instructions
373 from the MDMX Application Specific Extension from that point on
374 in the assembly. The @code{.set nomdmx} directive prevents MDMX
375 instructions from being accepted.
377 Traditional @sc{mips} assemblers do not support these directives.