The SunOS Assembler for x86

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This section contains a brief description of the SunOS assembler that runs on x86 and also includes a list of documents that can be used for reference.

The SunOS assembler that runs on x86, referred to as the "SunOS x86" in this manual, translates source files that are in assembly language format into object files in linking format.

In the program development process, the assembler is a tool to use in producing program modules intended to exploit features of the Intel^(R) architecture in ways that cannot be easily done using high level languages and their compilers. More precisely, the assembler is the tool of choice when assembly language is the language of choice.

Whether assembly language is chosen for the development of program modules depends on the extent to which and the ease with which the language allows the programmer to control the architectural features of the processor.

The assembly language described in this manual offers full direct access to the x86 instruction set. The assembler may also be used in connection with SunOS^(TM) 5.1 macro preprocessors to achieve full macro-assembler capability. Further more, the assembler responds to directives that allow the programmer a great deal of direct control over the contents of the relocatable object file into which it translates the input source files.

This document describes the language in which the source files must be written. The nature of the machine mnemonics governs the way in which the program's executable portion is written. This document includes descriptions of the pseudo operations that allow control over the object file. This facilitates the development of programs that are easy to understand and maintain.