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Re: RFC: [PATCH] X86: Add pseudo prefixes to control encoding


On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 12:11 AM, Jan Beulich <JBeulich@suse.com> wrote:
>>>> On 07.11.16 at 23:26, <hjl.tools@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, Nov 7, 2016 at 12:31 AM, Jan Beulich <JBeulich@suse.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On 04.11.16 at 19:24, <hongjiu.lu@intel.com> wrote:
>>>> Many x86 instructions have more than one encodings.  Assembler picks
>>>> the default one, usually the shortest one.  Although the ".s", ".d8"
>>>> and ".d32" suffixes can be used to swap register operands or specify
>>>> displacement size, they aren't very flexible.  This patch adds pseudo
>>>> prefixes, {xxx}, to control instruction encoding.  The available
>>>> pseudo prefixes are {disp8}, {disp32}, {swap}, {vex2}, {vex3} and
>>>> {evex}.  Pseudo prefixes are preferred over the ".s", ".d8" and ".d32"
>>>> suffixes, which are deprecated.
>>>>
>>>> Any comments?
>>>
>>> Looking at ...
>>>
>>>> --- /dev/null
>>>> +++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/i386/pseudos.s
>>>> @@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
>>>> +# Check instructions with pseudo prefixes for encoding
>>>> +
>>>> +     .text
>>>> +_start:
>>>> +     {vex3} vmovaps %xmm7,%xmm2
>>>> +     {vex3} {swap} vmovaps %xmm7,%xmm2
>>>> +     vmovaps %xmm7,%xmm2
>>>> +     {vex2} vmovaps %xmm7,%xmm2
>>>> +     {vex2} {swap} vmovaps %xmm7,%xmm2
>>>>[...]
>>>> +     mov %ecx, %eax
>>>> +     {swap} mov %ecx, %eax
>>>
>>> ... all of these, I think {swap} is a bad name, as it implies that there
>>> is a particular encoding that the assembler chooses now and
>>> forever. That, however, should be an implementation detail, and
>>> hence the prefix should express exactly which encoding is wanted.
>>> Sadly I can't think of a really concise short name for them; {rm-reg}
>>> and {reg-rm} look a little ugly to me, namely due to the embedded
>>> dash.
>>
>> For most parts, programmer isn't aware how operands are encoded.
>> {swap} tells assembler to swap register operand order in encoding.
>> Since Intel and AT&T have different operand order, {rm-reg} may be
>> confusing.
>
> I can accept the "confusing" part, but I'm missing some alternative
> suggestion. If you want the programmer to be able to control the
> encoding, then it only makes sense if you give him/her full control.
> That is either there's no prefix (in which case the assembler gets to
> choose) or there is a prefix (in which case the encoding is full
> controlled by the prefix). IOW a single prefix will not do.

We can use {load} and {store} to encode in load or store form.

>>> And then there are mnemonics which have two alternate base
>>> opcodes (e.g. {,v}movq and {,v}pextrw). I think this prefix model
>>
>> vmovq %rax, %xmm
>>
>> isn't equivalent to
>>
>> movq %rax, %xmm
>>
>> since only VEX encoding clear the upper bits.
>
> And I didn't say they would be. Instead I did refer to the two
> different base opcodes (660FD6 and F30F7E vs 660F6E and
> 660F7E when talking about transfer between XMM register
> and memory [different opcodes apply for MM registers] and
> 660FC5 vs 660F3A15 when talking about PEXTRW with a
> GPR destination). Equivalent considerations apply for the
> VEX and EVEX encoded forms. I didn't do a very careful check
> whether there are any further redundant encodings.

We can add {regmem} pseudo prefix to encode a memory
or integer register operand in instruction which takes both
types of operand. If necessary, we can add {mmx} for MMX
encoding.

-- 
H.J.


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