PowerPC Microprocessor Common Hardware Reference Platform: A System Architecture

This book defines the architecture requirements and minimum system requirementsfor a computer system that is designed to become an open industry standard.These requirements provide a description of the devices, interfaces, and dataformats required to design and build a PowerPC-based computer. This standard isdesigned to provide software compatibility for several operating environments.Systems built to these requirements can use industry-standard componentscurrently found in IBM-compatible and Apple(R) Macintosh(R) personal computers. Thesesystems are expected to run various future versions of operating systemsincluding Apple Mac OS(TM), IBM AIX(TM) and PowerPC(TM) Editions of IBM OS/2 Warp Connect(TM), Microsoft Windows NT(TM) Workstation, Novell Netware(TM), and SunSoft Solaris(TM).

This book is the primary source of information for anyone developing a hardwareplatform, an operating system, or hardware component to be part of thesestandard systems. It describes the hardware-to-operating-system interface thatis essential to anyone building hardware platforms and provides the minimumsystem configurations that platform designers must meet when building a standardplatform. Component manufacturers require this information to producecompatible chips and adapters to use on these platforms, and software developersrequire the information on mandatory functions and documented interfaces.

The architecture is intended to support a range of PowerPC microprocessor-based system implementations including portable, desktop, and server classsystems, and allows multiple operating-system implementations across a widerange of environments and functions. This enables new hardware and softwareenhancements that are necessary for the development of improved userinterfaces, higher performance, and broader operating environments.