Additional MPL Oral Questions

1. Directives used in 80386 Microprocessor-

Directive Description

Allocates and initializes single or multiple data bytes. For example, DB 30H,
DB
52H, 35H reserves memory locations for these values.

Initializes single or multiple data words (16-bit). For instance, DW 1020H,

DW
4216H allocates memory locations for these 16-bit data values.

END Marks the end of a program during assembly.

Assigns a numerical value or constant to a variable. For example, DONE EQU

EQU
10H sets the value of the variable “DONE” to 10H.

Represents the beginning of a macro. Defines the name and parameters for
MACRO
reusable code segments.

ENDM Indicates the termination of a macro. Marks the end of the macro definition.

Specifies the starting address for a module or segment. Statements following

ORG this directive are stored in memory locations beginning with a specific
address.

2. PUSH & POP Instructions

3. Jump & Call Instructions
4. Flag Register and meaning of each flag
5. Sizes of GDTR, LDTR, TR, MSW & their use
6. Difference between Macro & Procedure
7. Conversion of Hex Number to ASCII
0 to 9 = 30 to 39 respectively and
A to F = 41 to 46
ADD 30 command for 0 to 9 and ADD 37 for A to F
8. Physical Memory of 80386 processor
9. Features of 80386 processor
10. Clock frequency use or Operating frequency
11. Interrupts H/W & S/W Interrupts
12. Interrupt pins(H/W Interrupts- NMI & INTR)
13. S/W Interrupts Table e.g- INT 0, INT 4
14. Exception Definition & types

15. Definition of System call, Why they are used

What is a System Call?
A system call is a mechanism used by programs to request services from the operating
system (OS). In simpler terms, it allows a program to interact with the underlying system,
such as accessing hardware resources or performing privileged operations

Macro Explaination-
%macro disp 2
mov rax, 01
mov rdi, 01
mov rsi, %1
mov rdx, %2
syscall
%endmacro

1. %macro disp 2: This line defines a macro named disp that takes two arguments.
Macros are reusable code segments that can be expanded inline during assembly.
2. The body of the macro contains the following instructions:
o mov rax, 01: This moves the value 01 into the rax register. The rax register
is commonly used for system call numbers.
o mov rdi, 01: This moves the value 01 into the rdi register. The rdi register
typically holds the first argument for system calls (e.g., file descriptors or
output streams).
o mov rsi, %1: This moves the first argument of the macro (specified by %1)
into the rsi register. The rsi register usually holds the second argument for
system calls (e.g., buffer addresses).
o mov rdx, %2: This moves the second argument of the macro (specified by %2)
into the rdx register. The rdx register often holds the third argument for
system calls (e.g., buffer sizes).
3. Finally, the syscall instruction is used to invoke a system call based on the values set
in the registers.