Patent ID: 6343337
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A mechanism for performing data operations, comprising:a crossbar passing any source byte to any target byte, the crossbar receiving a source operand; first crossbar selects controlling the crossbar, the first crossbar selects generated in response to a vector permute instruction and reordering bytes of the source operand at a crossbar output; a first qualifying signal for the first crossbar selects verifying that a vector permute instruction is being executed; second crossbar selects controlling the crossbar, the second crossbar selects generated in response to a vector pack instruction and selecting a first source byte from a pair of middle bytes within the source operand for a top target byte at the crossbar output and a second source byte within the source operand for a second target byte at the crossbar output; a second qualifying signal for the second crossbar selects verifying that a vector pack instruction is being executed; third crossbar selects controlling the crossbar, the third crossbar selects generated in response to a wide shift instruction and byte-wise shifting the source operand at the crossbar output; and a third qualifying signal for the third crossbar selects verifying that a wide shift instruction is being executed.