Apparatus and methods related to microcode instructions indicating instruction types
The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to microcode instructions. One example apparatus comprises a memory storing a set of microcode instructions. Each microcode instruction of the set can comprise a first field comprising a number of control data units, and a second field comprising a number of type select data units. Each microcode instruction of the set can have a particular instruction type defined by a value of the number of type select data units, and particular functions corresponding to the number of control data units are variable based on the particular instruction type.
1. A system, comprising:
a host; and
a memory device coupled to the host, wherein a number of microcode instructions is stored in the memory device, and wherein at least one of the number of microcode instructions comprises:
a number of type select data units, wherein each microcode instruction of the number of microcode instructions has a particular instruction type indicated by a value of the number of type select data units; and
a number of control data units, wherein the number of control data units whose functions are variable based on the particular instruction type is capable of controlling a component within the memory device as well as a component outside of the memory device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory device is configured to execute at least one of the number of microcode instructions to perform an input/output (I/O) operation between the host and the memory device.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the component outside of the controller comprises sensing circuitry, logic circuitry, decode circuitry, or any combination thereof.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory device comprises a cache storing the number of microcode instructions.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory device is configured to determine an instruction type corresponding to each one of the number of microcode instructions based on a value of a number of type select data units within each of the number of microcode instructions.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the memory device comprises a memory array coupled to the controller; and
the controller is configured to receive the number of microcode instructions from the controller.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory device is coupled to the host via a control bus.
8. A system, comprising:
a memory device comprising a controller and a memory array coupled to the controller; and
a host comprising a processing resource and a memory configured to store microcode instructions, wherein the processing resource is configured to:
retrieve a set of microcode instructions from the memory device;
determine, in response to receipt of the set of microcode instructions from the memory device, an instruction type corresponding to each one of the set of microcode instructions based on a value of a number of type select data units within each of the set of microcode instructions, wherein functions to which the number of control data units correspond are dependent upon the determined instruction type; and
execute the set of microcode instructions in accordance with the determined instruction type to perform at least a portion of a memory operation based on values of a number of control data units within each one of the set of microcode instructions;
wherein the number of control data units is capable of controlling a component within the processing resource as well as a component outside of the processing resource including a memory component of the memory device.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the host is configured to retrieve the set of microcode instructions from the controller.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the host is configured to retrieve the set of microcode instructions from the memory array.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the memory component comprises a component within the controller comprising an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a register, or both.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing resource is configured to execute at least one of the set of microcode instructions to perform an input/output (I/O) operation between the host and the memory device.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the host is coupled to the memory device via a data bus.
14. A system, comprising:
a host comprising a memory; and
a memory device coupled to the host and comprising:
a memory array; and
a controller coupled to the memory array; the controller configured to:
retrieve a microcode instruction from the memory of the host, the memory array of the memory device, or both;
execute the microcode instruction comprising:
a number of control data units; and
a number of type select data units indicating a particular instruction type of a number of types, wherein the number of control data units whose functions are variable based on the particular instruction type is capable of controlling components within the controller as well as components outside of the controller.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is coupled to the host via a high speed interface (HSI).
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the HSI includes an out-of-band bus.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the microcode instruction further comprises a number of global data units whose function is independent of the particular instruction type.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the number of global data units comprise parity bits, debug bits, or both.