Use general instructions to manipulate data that resides in general registers or in storage, or that is introduced from the instruction stream. General instructions include fixed-point, logical, and branching instructions. In addition, they include unprivileged status-switching instructions. Some general instructions operate on data that resides in the PSW or the TOD clock.

The general instructions treat data as four types: signed binary integers, unsigned binary integers, unstructured logical data, and decimal data. Data is treated as decimal by the conversion, packing, and unpacking instructions.

For further information, see "General Instructions" in the z/Architecture Principles of Operation information.