ENTER—Make Stack Frame for Procedure Parameters

Opcode Instruction Op/En 64-Bit Mode Compat/Leg Mode Description
C8 iw 00 ENTER imm16, 0 II Valid Valid Create a stack frame for a procedure.
C8 iw 01 ENTER imm16,1 II Valid Valid Create a nested stack frame for a procedure.
C8 iw ib ENTER imm16, imm8 II Valid Valid Create a nested stack frame for a procedure.

Instruction Operand Encoding

Op/En Operand 1 Operand 2 Operand 3 Operand 4
II iw imm8 NA NA

Description

Creates a stack frame for a procedure. The first operand (size operand) specifies the size of the stack frame (that is, the number of bytes of dynamic storage allocated on the stack for the procedure). The second operand (nesting level operand) gives the lexical nesting level (0 to 31) of the procedure. The nesting level determines the number of stack frame pointers that are copied into the “display area” of the new stack frame from the preceding frame. Both of these operands are immediate values.

The stack-size attribute determines whether the BP (16 bits), EBP (32 bits), or RBP (64 bits) register specifies the current frame pointer and whether SP (16 bits), ESP (32 bits), or RSP (64 bits) specifies the stack pointer. In 64-bit mode, stack-size attribute is always 64-bits.

The ENTER and companion LEAVE instructions are provided to support block structured languages. The ENTER instruction (when used) is typically the first instruction in a procedure and is used to set up a new stack frame for a procedure. The LEAVE instruction is then used at the end of the procedure (just before the RET instruction) to release the stack frame.

If the nesting level is 0, the processor pushes the frame pointer from the BP/EBP/RBP register onto the stack, copies the current stack pointer from the SP/ESP/RSP register into the BP/EBP/RBP register, and loads the SP/ESP/RSP register with the current stack-pointer value minus the value in the size operand. For nesting levels of 1 or greater, the processor pushes additional frame pointers on the stack before adjusting the stack pointer. These additional frame pointers provide the called procedure with access points to other nested frames on the stack. See “Procedure Calls for Block-Structured Languages” in Chapter 6 of the Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer’s Manual, Volume 1, for more information about the actions of the ENTER instruction.

The ENTER instruction causes a page fault whenever a write using the final value of the stack pointer (within the current stack segment) would do so.

In 64-bit mode, default operation size is 64 bits; 32-bit operation size cannot be encoded.

Operation

NestingLevel ← NestingLevel MOD 32
IF 64-Bit Mode (StackSize = 64)
    THEN
         Push(RBP);
         FrameTemp ← RSP;
    ELSE IF StackSize = 32
         THEN
              Push(EBP);
              FrameTemp ← ESP; FI;
    ELSE (* StackSize = 16 *)
              Push(BP);
              FrameTemp ← SP;
FI;
IF NestingLevel = 0
    THEN GOTO CONTINUE;
FI;
IF (NestingLevel > 1)
    THEN FOR i ← 1 to (NestingLevel - 1)
         DO
              IF 64-Bit Mode (StackSize = 64)
                    THEN
                         RBP ← RBP - 8;
                         Push([RBP]); (* Quadword push *)
                    ELSE IF OperandSize = 32
                         THEN
                              IF StackSize = 32
                                    EBP ← EBP - 4;
                                    Push([EBP]); (* Doubleword push *)
                              ELSE (* StackSize = 16 *)
                                    BP ← BP - 4;
                                    Push([BP]); (* Doubleword push *)
                              FI;
                         FI;
                    ELSE (* OperandSize = 16 *)
                         IF StackSize = 32
                              THEN
                                    EBP ← EBP - 2;
                                    Push([EBP]); (* Word push *)
                              ELSE (* StackSize = 16 *)
                                    BP ← BP - 2;
                                    Push([BP]); (* Word push *)
                         FI;
                    FI;
    OD;
FI;
IF 64-Bit Mode (StackSize = 64)
    THEN
         Push(FrameTemp); (* Quadword push *)
    ELSE IF OperandSize = 32
         THEN
              Push(FrameTemp); FI; (* Doubleword push *)
    ELSE (* OperandSize = 16 *)
              Push(FrameTemp); (* Word push *)
FI;
CONTINUE:
IF 64-Bit Mode (StackSize = 64)
    THEN
              RBP ← FrameTemp;
              RSP ← RSP − Size;
    ELSE IF StackSize = 32
         THEN
              EBP ← FrameTemp;
              ESP ← ESP − Size; FI;
    ELSE (* StackSize = 16 *)
              BP ← FrameTemp;
              SP ← SP − Size;
FI;
END;

Flags Affected

None.

Protected Mode Exceptions

#SS(0) If the new value of the SP or ESP register is outside the stack segment limit.
#PF(fault-code) If a page fault occurs or if a write using the final value of the stack pointer (within the current stack segment) would cause a page fault.
#UD If the LOCK prefix is used.

Real-Address Mode Exceptions

#SS If the new value of the SP or ESP register is outside the stack segment limit.
#UD If the LOCK prefix is used.

Virtual-8086 Mode Exceptions

#SS(0) If the new value of the SP or ESP register is outside the stack segment limit.
#PF(fault-code) If a page fault occurs or if a write using the final value of the stack pointer (within the current stack segment) would cause a page fault.
#UD If the LOCK prefix is used.

Compatibility Mode Exceptions

Same exceptions as in protected mode.

64-Bit Mode Exceptions

#SS(0) If the stack address is in a non-canonical form.
#PF(fault-code) If a page fault occurs or if a write using the final value of the stack pointer (within the current stack segment) would cause a page fault.
#UD If the LOCK prefix is used.