The structure of SYSTEM/360: Part I—Outline of the logical structure

In the SYSTEM/36O logical structure, processing efficiency and versatility are served by multiple accumulators, binary addressing, bit-manipulation operations, automatic indexing, fixed and variable field lengths, decimal and hexadecimal radices, and floating-point as well as fixed-point arithmetic. The provisions for program interruption, storage protection, and flexible CPU states contribute to effective operation. Base-register addressing, the standard interface between channels and input/output control units, and the machine-language compatibility among models contribute to flexible configurations and to orderly system expansion.