Definition
Program Status Word
The Program Status Word (PSW) is a hardware register (or collection of registers) that encapsulates the dynamic state of the processor.
Components
- Condition Codes: Bits set by arithmetic instructions (Zero, Negative, Overflow) used for branching.
- Interrupt Mask: Bits determining if interrupts are currently enabled or disabled.
- Mode Bits: Indicator of the current execution mode (User vs. Kernel).