HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Introduction to the HP 3000
The HP 3000 is a general-purpose multiprogramming machine, designed for
the interactive, transaction processing environment of business and
industry. The HP 3000 family of computers includes several models of the
machine, each with a different series number.
900 Series HP 3000
The newest high performance members of the 900 Series HP 3000 family are
based on HP Precision Architecture (HP-PA), a highly flexible computer
design that can meet current user requirements and requirements arising
during future growth.
HP Precision Architecture (HP-PA)
HP Precision Architecture (HP-PA) is based on Reduced Instruction Set
Computer (RISC) concepts with added extensions for a complete system.
This increases computer performance by reducing and simplifying the
computer instruction set. HP-PA eliminates system overhead associated
with conventional computer microcode by directly implementing computer
instructions in hardware. The uniformity of HP-PA instructions enhances
pipelining, providing higher performance by overlapping execution of
multiple instructions. Many technologies can implement HP-PA; highly
integrated VLSI designs can be achieved by eliminating the chip space
required for microcode.
High performance from HP-PA architecture results from the memory
hierarchy design and the use of optimizing compilers. Processor waiting
time for memory accesses is minimized due to the following architectural
characteristics:
* Frequently used instructions and data are stored in a large number
of CPU registers.
* High-speed buffering of code and data occurs.
* Optimizing compilers generate efficient object code, allocate
registers, and schedule instruction sequences to maintain
efficient pipeline operation.