Specifications, reference manuals, and books on the Alpha architecture and its software conventions. For Linux work, the Fourth Edition of the Alpha Architecture Reference Manual is the definitive description of the instruction set, memory model, and PALcode interface, and the Digital UNIX Calling Standard for Alpha Systems describes the calling convention Linux follows. The hardware reference manuals of the individual processors are listed under CPUs, those of the core logic under Chipsets, and the firmware manuals under Firmware.
| Document | Part number | ISBN | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Architecture Handbook, Version 1 | EC-H1689-10 | 1992 | |
| Alpha Architecture Handbook, Version 2 | EC-QD2KA-TE | ||
| Alpha Architecture Handbook, Version 3 | EC-QD2KB-TE | ||
| Alpha Architecture Handbook, Version 4 | EC-QD2KC-TE | October 1998 | |
| Alpha Architecture Reference Manual, First Edition | EY-L520E-DP | 978-1555580988 | 1992 |
| Alpha AXP Architecture Reference Manual, Second Edition | EY-TI32E-DP | 978-1555581459 | 1995 |
| Alpha Architecture Reference Manual, Third Edition | 978-1555582029 | ||
| Alpha Architecture Reference Manual, Fourth Edition | January 2002 | ||
| Alpha System Reference Manual, Version 5 | May 1992 | ||
| Alpha AXP System Reference Manual, Version 6 | 1994 | ||
| Alpha System Reference Manual, Version 7 | 1997 |
| Document | Part number | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Calling Standard, Revision 2.0 | April 1990 | |
| Digital UNIX Calling Standard for Alpha Systems | AA-PY8AC-TE | March 1996 |
| VSI OpenVMS Calling Standard | 2026 | |
| Tru64 UNIX Object File and Symbol Table Format Specification | August 2000 |
The compiler writer's guides describe instruction scheduling, code alignment, and the pipeline rules that matter for code generation on the 21264 and 21364. They are also listed with the processor manuals under CPUs.
| Document | Part number | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Compiler Writer's Guide for the Alpha 21264 | EC-RJ66A-TE | June 1999 |
| Compiler Writer's Guide for the 21264/21364 | EC-0100A-TE | January 2002 |
| DEC Alpha Options, GCC manual |
| Title | ISBN |
|---|---|
| Alpha RISC Architecture for Programmers (Errata, References) | 978-0130814388 |
| Alpha Implementations and Architecture: Complete Reference and Guide (review) | 978-1555581305 |
Digital posted Digital Technical Journal papers in full to the biz.digital.articles newsgroup. The papers on Alpha hardware are listed below.
| Paper | Authors | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| The Evolution of the Alpha AXP PC | David G. Conroy, Thomas E. Kopec, and Joseph R. Falcone | Vol. 6, No. 1, Winter 1994 |
| Digital's DECchip 21066: The First Cost-focused Alpha AXP Chip | Dina L. McKinney et al. | Vol. 6, No. 1, Winter 1994 |
| Development of Digital's PCI Chip Sets and Evaluation Kit for the DECchip 21064 Microprocessor | Samyojita A. Nadkarni et al. | Vol. 6, No. 2, Spring 1994 |
| Design of the AlphaServer Multiprocessor Server Systems | Fidelma M. Hayes | Vol. 6, No. 3, Summer 1994 |
| The AlphaServer 2100 I/O Subsystem | Andrew P. Russo | Vol. 6, No. 3, Summer 1994 |
| The AlphaServer 8000 Series: High-end Server Platform Development | David M. Fenwick et al. | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| The Second-generation Processor Module for AlphaServer 2100 Systems | Nitin D. Godiwala and Barry A. Maskas | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| Digital's High-performance CMOS ASIC | Jean H. Basmaji et al. | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| Design and Verification of the AlphaStation 600 5-series Workstation | John H. Zurawski, John E. Murray, and Paul J. Lemmon | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| Circuit Implementation of a 300-MHz 64-bit Second-generation CMOS Alpha CPU | William J. Bowhill et al. | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| Internal Organization of the Alpha 21164 | John H. Edmondson et al. | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |
| Functional Verification of the Alpha 21164 CPU Chip | Michael Kantrowitz and Lisa M. Noack | Special 10th Anniversary Issue |