Re: [Linux-ia64] native ia64 32-bits compile & run on linux-ia64?

n0ano
2002-01-21T15:49:36Z

I'll try and give a brief run down of the execution environments available
on IA64 Linux right now. The CPU is capable of executing two different
instruction sets, IA64 and IA32. For the IA64 instruction set there are
multiple execution modes possible, the most obvious two being LP64 (`long'
and `pointer are 64-bits, `int' is 32-bits) and ILP32 (`int', `long' and
`pointer' are all 32-bits).

The `native' environment for IA64 Linux has been declared to be the IA64
instruction set running in LP64 mode. This is fully supported by GCC,
GLIBC, tools and the kernel.

Although running IA64 instructions in ILP32 mode is conceptually possible
it is not supported and there are no plans to support this mode any time
in the near future. This would require significant changes to GCC, GLIBC
and the kernel at a minimum and no one has provided any compelling evidence
that there is enough performance gain to justify this effort.

The IA32 support in IA64 Linux is designed more as a transition tool rather
than a development environment. Our goal all along has been to support
executing current IA32 programs, not generating new ones. Therefore the
compiler tools (GCC, the linker and what not) have no support for IA32
code generation. If you really want to generate IA32 programs on an IA64
Linux system you can install an IA32 version of GCC and use that.

On Mon, Jan 21, 2002 at 04:01:25PM +0100, Francois-Xavier Kowalski wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am wondering if the Linux & GCC port on ia64 allows compilation &
> execution of native i64 32-bits executables (not speaking about ia32
> compatibility, but native 32-bits on ia64).
>
> HP-UX & AIX (at least) have this generation & execution options, because
> execution speed would be sorted as follows, in descending order:
>
> * native 32-bits executables
> * native 64-bits
> * ia32 emulation
>
> I did not find any clue of that neither in the GCC web site, nor from
> the "Linux on ia64" site.
>
> Anyone has information on that? Is it part of the "non-said" wish/todo
> list ?
>
> TIA
>
> --
> Francois-Xavier "FiX" KOWALSKI /_ __ Tel:+33 (0)4 76 14 63 27
> Telecom Infrastructure Division / //_/ Telnet: 779-6327
> SigTech eXpert / http://www.hp.com/go/opencall
> i n v e n t
>
>
>
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