[rescue] systems with user modifiable microcode.

[Dave McGuire]

On Wednesday, October 2, 2002, at 02:52 PM, Greg A. Woods wrote:
> The PDP-11/60 has a microcode option.  I think it is the only one of 
> the
> PDPs that had such a feature.  I'm not sure about VAXen.

   The 11/03 does as well.

>> Is the (PALcode?) for Alpha similar to writable control store?
>
> Nope.  In this case PALcode stands for "Privileged Architecture Library
> code".
>
> Alpha PALcode provides an abstraction layer to the hardware which makes
> it easier to port an OS to variations of the platform.  It's sometimes
> different for each OS since each might have different requirements.

   While its intended use is different, it does amount to 
runtime-modifiable microcode.  (not trying to start another of our 
famous flame wars here, Greg)

          -Dave

--
Dave McGuire          "PC users only know two 'solutions'...
St. Petersburg, FL       reboot and upgrade."    -Jonathan Patschke