Definitions (Cont.)
Register-transfer behavior
The operation of hardware at the register-transfer level; only abstract or visible transfers and registers are described; interconnections between registers and functional units are usually implicit; control signals and overall control flow are usually implicit and/or expressed at a high level
Register-transfer structure
Hardware implementation at the register-transfer level; register, functional operators, and their interconnections are specified; the control signals and overall control flow may be embedded in the hardware as part of the overall specification or may be specified separately; sometimes referred to as the functional structure