NonStop NS-Series Operations Guide (H06.12+)

D Converting Numbers
When to Use This Appendix
Refer to this appendix if you need to convert numbers from one numbering system to another.
Overview of Numbering Systems
Internally, a computer stores data as a series of off and on values represented symbolically by
the binary digits, or bits, 0 and 1, respectively. Because numbers represented as strings of binary
0s and 1s are difficult to read, binary numbers are generally converted into octal, decimal, or
hexadecimal form. Table D-1 describes the binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal number
systems.
Table D-1 Descriptions of Number Systems
DescriptionBaseNumber System
Binary numbers are made up of the
digits 0 and 1.
2Binary
Octal numbers are made up of the
digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
8Octal
Decimal numbers are made up of the
digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
10Decimal
Hexadecimal numbers are made up of
the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
and the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F.
16Hexadecimal
In manuals for the NonStop server, a percent sign precedes a number that is not in decimal form:
• The % notation precedes an octal number.
• The %B notation precedes a binary number.
• The %H notation precedes a hexadecimal number. On some system displays, hexadecimal
numbers are preceded by the notation 0X instead of %H.
Binary to Decimal
To convert a binary number to a decimal number:
1. Starting from the right, multiply the least significant (rightmost) binary digit by the first
placeholder value. Moving towards the left, multiply each new binary digit by its
corresponding placeholder value until the binary number is exhausted.
To establish placeholder values, the first placeholder value (on the far right) is 1. Then for
each new placeholder value to the left, multiply the value to the right by 2.
2. Add the results of the multiplications in Step 1.
Example
Convert the binary value 11011 to its decimal equivalent. (In this example, the symbol “*” indicates
multiplication.) Refer to Figure D-1 (page 206).
When to Use This Appendix 205