Review of "Bit-Slice Design: Controllers and ALUs by Donnamarie E. White", Garland STPM Press, 1981

Abstract

Bit-Slice Design: Controllers and ALUs is an introductory book on the design of microarchitectures featuring the Advanced Micro Devices 2900 Famility of bit-slice devices. The book provides a valuable analysis of FIS (Fixed Instruction Set) Microprocessor, Bit-Slice, and SSI/MSI hardwared logic implementation tradeoffs not found elsewhere in literature (Chapter 1). It also contains a detailed functional evolution of a microsequencer (refered to as a controller) and a similar, although not as detailed, functional evolution of the ALU portion of a microarchitecture. The controller design leads up to the Am2909/2911 micro-program sequencers, the Am2910 sequencer, Am29803 testing matrix and Am2913 and Am2914 interrupt chips/devices, while introducing the concepts of branching, pipelining, subroutines, stacks, looping , and vectored and polled interrupt handling (Chapters 2, 3, and 4). The ALU design leads up to the Am2901 and Am2903 chips (Chapters 5 and 6) with detailed explanations of each. The final chapter gives as quick explanation of how local store can be expanded on the ALU bit~ slice (2903) by using "LSI glue" in the form of an Am2905, and how a status register can be added for additional facility (Am2904). In summary, Bit-Slice Design: Controllers and ALUs is more than just a data book of AMD chips. It contains considerable pedagogical material which offers the reader insight into what functions and features are desirable when designing the data flow of a microarchitecture. This book would make an appropriate supplemental book for introductory courses in microprogramming, and offers good reading material for those practitioners wanting to understand a little more about design tradeoffs and AMDs line of bit-slice devices.The views and opinions expressed here are those of the reviewer who takes full responsibility for error.