By Robert R. Collins
Dr.
Dobb's Journal
Undocumented Corner
Intel
Inside --
The Errata Series
Productivity
Enhancements
and Programming Tricks
Intel
Secrets, Bugs and
Undocumented Opcodes
Intel Data
Sheets and
Programming Manuals
| August 1998 | The Segment Descriptor Cache | The segment descriptor cache is the heart of memory management, and the key to unlocking real mode. In this article, I discuss the contents and usage of this undocumented entity which is the key to unreal mode and more efficient debugging. |
| May 1998 | The Pentium F00F Bug | When x86 processors encounter an invalid instruction, the processor is supposed to generate an invalid opcode exception. If this mechanism fails, however, the program can bring the system down -- and that's what happens with the F00F bug. |
| May 1998 | VME: Coming Out of the Cold | In this article, Robert finishes his discussion of Virtual Mode Extensions. Robert demonstrates that Intel left enough information to aid in reverse-engineering, in spite of attempting to remove vital engineering details of VME. Many of the known Caveats of VME are discussed. Finally, the VME-related instruction algorithms are disclosed for the first time in a public document. |
| March 1998 | Benchmarks: Fact Fiction or Fantasy? | Can you really trust published benchmarks? By making a 166-MHz Pentium computer seem to outperform a 300-MHz Pentium II system, Robert shows why healthy skepticism is a useful trait. Brian Butler then presents a sample database benchmark. Additional resources include BENCHMK.ZIP (source code). |
| March 1998 | Details and Caveats of Intel's Virtual Mode Extensions (VME) | In this article, Robert continues his discussion of VME by uncovering the inner workings of Intel's Virtual Mode Extensions. |
| January 1998 | The Pentium's Enhanced v86 Mode | In this article, Robert starts his three-part discussion of Intel's Enhancements to v86 mode. Robert begins his discussion with a behind-the-scenes look at the first Ev86 article disclosure in November, 1995. Following the spy thriller, Robert begins his discussion of v86 mode enhancements on the Pentium Processor. |
| November 1997 | ICE Mode and the Pentium
Processor - and - The Creation of Appendix H |
Robert Continues his examination of in-circuit emulation and the Pentium by looking at the Pentium's ICE Mode. |
| September 1997 | In-Circuit Emulation: How the Microprocessor Evolved Over Time | In this article, Robert continues his discussion of In-Circuit Emulation by discussing the changes taking place inside of the microprocessor. |
| August 1997 | Inside the Pentium II
Math Bug - and - A behind-the-scenes Chronology of the Dan-0411 Bug |
Two days before Intel's biggest processor announcement in years, a math bug in the Pentium Pro and Pentium II came to light. Robert takes you inside the Dan-0411 "flag erratum," and tells how the story unfolded. |
| July 1997 | In-Circuit Emulation A powerful hardware tool for software debugging |
Robert discusses the basics of in-circuit emulation, describing how it has become his primary software debugging tool. |
| May 1997 | The Caveats of System Management Mode | In this issue, Robert discusses the many caveats of SMM, and gives pointers to make your SMM development easier. Later in the article, Robert demonstrates how it's possible to violate the priviledge level mechanism of the Pentium Processor by modifying values in the SMM State Save Map. |
| March 1997 | The Secrets of System Management Mode | In this issue, Robert discusses the secrets of the state save map, the AutoHALT feature, and I/O Restart features of Intel's System Management Mode. |
| January 1997 | Intel's System Management Mode | Robert launches an examination of the Intel System Management Mode (SMM), comparing the SMM's RSM instruction to the ICE mode's undocumented LOADALL instruction. |
November 1996 |
Robert presents a processor-detection algorithm that can obtain processor stepping information on processors thatdon't support the CPUID instruction. | |
September 1996 |
Detecting Intel Processors: Knowing the generation of a system CPU |
How does your program know which Intel processor is the current system CPU? Robert looks at the options, including Intel's PUSHF/POPF technique. |
July 1996 |
The Pentium Pro's Physical Address Extensions (PAE) let the processor address up to 64 GB of physical memory (36-bit address bus), and access page sizes of 2 MB. | |
May 1996 |
Four-MB paging lets the operating system access very large data structures. However, receiving documentation for this feature required signing a hefty NDA. Did you know that this feature was documented all along, if you knew where to look, and no NDA required. |