[llvm-dev] Implement VLIW Backend on LLVM (Assembler Related Questions)

[Cy Cheng via llvm-dev]

Hello,

I want to implement LLVM backend for a specific VLIW hardware. I am working
on defining its instruction set, and assembly language.

The hardware has two pipelines, int and float. Each pipeline can do 3
operations/cycle, 3 operations forms an instruction.

One of the Integer Instruction looks like this:
    add Ri, Rj, Rk; add Rl, Rm, Rn; add Ro, Rp, Rq

An int instruction and a float instruction forms a VLIW instruction
(bundle), e.g.

{
    add Ri, Rj, Rk; add Rl, Rm, Rn; add Ro, Rp, Rq
    fadd Fi, Fj, Fk; fadd Fl, Fm, Fn; fadd Fo, Fp, Fq
}

I want to express above concept in this way:
// Assembly Language
{
    add Ri, Rj, Rk
    add Rl, Rm, Rn
    add Ro, Rp, Rq
    fadd Fi, Fj, Fk
    fadd Fl, Fm, Fn
    fadd Fo, Fp, Fq
}

Q1:
My first question is, the instruction encoding can only be determined after
parser has finished parsing the entire bundle.

e.g. When parser see "add Ri, Rj, Rk", it generates one encoding, but when
parser see another "add Ri, Rj, Rk", it will modify previously generated
encoding.

I would like to know can LLVM's assembler support this?
Or I should define my instruction in this way:
   add_type1 Ri, Rj, Rk
   add_type2 Ri, Rj, Rk, Rl, Rm, Rn
   add_type3 Ri, Rj, Rk, Rl, Rm, Rn, Ro, Rp, Rq

Q2.
Some of the instructions need to setup additional configuration, e.g.
{
    scache wa   ; Set cache mode: write allocate
    ssize 64    ; Set write size = 64 bits
    sendian big ; Set big endian writing
    store R0, 0x1000000 ; Write "R0" to 0x1000000
}

So, again, parser has to parse the entire bundle to generate correct
encoding.
Or I should define my instruction in this way:

store R0, 0x1000000, wa, 64, big, .... (10 options can be set)

Q3.
The destination register can be omitted, e.g.
    add , Rj, Rk

So can I use this form to express omitting destination, or I should define
new instruction for it?
e.g.
    add_no_dest Rj, Rk

Q4.
Can I define the instruction which has the same name but with different
count of operands, e.g.
    fadd Fi, Fj, Fk
    fadd Fl, Fm, Fn, rounding_mode

So fadd has two versions
(a) normal rounding
(b) special rounding mode

Or I should define it in this way:
fadd
fadd_round_mode1
fadd_round_mode2
..
fadd_round_mode15
(16 rounding mode)

Thank You,
CY
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