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SPARC Dependent Features

Refer to the following documentation for this architecture’s features and options for the assembler.

Options for SPARC

The SPARC chip family includes several successive levels (or other variants) of chip, using the same core instruction set, but including a few additional instructions at each level.

By default, as assumes the core instruction set (SPARC v6), but “bumps” the architecture level as needed: it switches to successively higher architectures as it encounters instructions that only exist in the higher levels.

If not configured for SPARC v9 (sparc64-*-*) AS will not bump passed sparclite by default, an option must be passed to enable the v9 instructions.

AS treats sparclite as being compatible with v8, unless an architecture is explicitly requested. SPARC v9 is always incompatible with sparclite.

-Av6 | -Av7 | -Av8 | -Asparclite | -Av9 | -Av9a
Use one of the -A options to select one of the SPARC architectures explicitly. If you select an architecture explicitly, as reports a fatal error if it encounters an instruction or feature requiring a higher level.

-xarch=v8plus | -xarch=v8plusa
For compatibility with the Solaris v9 assembler. These op-tions are equivalent to -Av9 and -Av9a, respectively.

-bump
Warn whenever it is necessary to switch to another level. If an architecture level is explicitly requested, AS will not issue warnings until that level is reached, and will then bump the level as required (except between incompatible levels).

Floating Point for SPARC

The SPARC uses IEEE floating-point numbers.

Machine Directives for SPARC

The SPARC version of as supports the following additional machine directives:

.align
This must be followed by the desired alignment in bytes.

.common
This must be followed by a symbol name, a positive num-ber, and "bss". This behaves somewhat like .comm, but the syntax is different.

.half
This is functionally identical to .short.

.proc
This directive is ignored. Any text following it on the same line is also ignored.

.reserve
This must be followed by a symbol name, a positive number, and "bss". This behaves somewhat like .lcomm, but the syntax is different.

.seg
This must be followed by "text", "data", or "data1". It behaves like .text, .data, or .data 1.

.skip
This is functionally identical to the .space directive.

.word
On the Sparc, the .word directive produces 32 bit values, instead of the 16 bit values it produces on many other ma-chines.

.xword
On the Sparc V9 processor, the .xword directive produces 64 bit values.