Selectors and descriptors are those items that provide the
hardware with the software's expected image of what is located
where.


Selectors

A selector is a 16-bit pointer that, when loaded into a register
or used with certain instructions, selects certain descriptors. In
a logical address, the selector portion identifies an individual
descriptor by first specifying the descriptor table and then
indexing to the descriptor within that table.


General selector format:
15 3 2 1 0
┌──────────────────────────────────────┬──┬─────┐
│ Index │TI│ RPL │
└──────────────────────────────────────┴──┴─────┛

Index Selects one of up to 8192 descriptors in a descriptor
table. The 80386+ multiplies this index value by eight
(the length of a descriptor) and then adds the result
to the base address of the descriptor table. This
accesses the correct entry in the table.

TI The Table Indicator bit specifies the descriptor
table to which the selector refers: a zero points to
the GDT (Global Descriptor Table), and a one indicates
the current LDT (Local Descriptor Table).

RPL Requested Privilege Level - used by the system
protection mechanism.