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2-2 Vol. 3
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW
initiates the switch from real-address mode to protected mode. If IA-32e mode oper-
ation is desired, software also initiates a switch from protected mode to IA-32e
mode.
2.1 OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM-LEVEL ARCHITECTURE
System-level architecture consists of a set of registers, data structures, and instruc-
tions designed to support basic system-level operations such as memory manage-
ment, interrupt and exception handling, task management, and control of multiple
processors.
Figure 2-1 provides a summary of system registers and data structures that applies
to 32-bit modes. System registers and data structures that apply to IA-32e mode are
shown in
Figure 2-2.