22.6.2. Vertical Micro-program Techniques

Try these first

1. 1.

   What does a micro-program control unit do?

   Hint

   Think about the control signals and how they guide operations.

2. 2.

   What is the function of the Branch Address Field?

   Hint

   Recall the concept of conditional instructions.

3. 3.

   What does the MPC determine in a control unit?

   • The data to be processed
   • The address of the next micro instruction
   • The type of CPU

   Hint

   Think about the role of MPC in sequencing.

4. 4.

   True or False: The Condition Select Field always leads to a jump in the instruction sequence.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Recall how branches depend on conditions.

5. 5.

   Given a series of condition codes and their functionalities, design a hypothetical CPU instruction flow that includes both branches and increments.

   Hint

   Consider how you can map the conditions to the MPC.

6. 6.

   Explore the advantages of tightly integrating vertical micro-programming in resource-constrained environments and provide examples.

   Hint

   Think of embedded systems where memory is limited as a context.