Assembly Language Programming

At the end of this course, the students should be able to: 1. describe the underlying principle in machine-level data representations, computing, and programming; 2. gain proficiency in assembly programming for the x86 architecture, including register operations, control structures, bitwise operations, and subprograms; 3. perform tasks like compiling, linking, loading, and debugging; 4. build a program on a microprocessor using arithmetic and logical instruction set of 8086; 5. analyse abstract problems and apply a combination of hardware and software to address the problem; and 6. review design issues when generating complex digital systems (including microprocessors) and resolve them.

Introduction: language level of abstraction and effect on machine, characteristics of machine code, advantages, justifications of machine code programming, instruction set and dependency on underlying processor. Intel 8086 microprocessor assembly language programming: programming model as resources available to programmer, addressing modes, instruction format, instruction set- arithmetic, logical, string, branching, program control, machine control, input/output , etc; assembler directives, hand-assembling, additional 80x86/Pentium instructions. Modular programming. Interrupt and service routine. Interfacing of assembly language to C. Intel 80x87 floating point programming. Introduction to MMX and SSE programming. Motorola 680x0 assembly language programming. Extensive practical engineering problems solving in assembly language using MASM for Intel, and cross-assembler for Motorola.