From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jeff Woods Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 06:19:33 +0000 Subject: Re: IA32 execution layer Message-Id: List-Id: References: In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable To: linux-ia64@vger.kernel.org Matt Domsch wrote: >>>Hi all, It seems that an IA32 execution layer is going to make its way=20 >>>onto upcoming ia64 windows systems. Is anyone thinking adding support=20 >>>for such a layer to linux-ia64? > >Popular I/T press is touting some new work by Intel to emulate x86=20 >instructions on IPF, which (per the articles) is faster than running it on= =20 >the x86 hardware in the IPF. I've gotten this query internally too. Intel made some press releases in April 2003 about something they were=20 calling "BTRANS" which is designed to replace/enhance the IA32 hardware on = Itanium processors by emulating some of the IA32 instructions in=20 software. It is supposed to run faster than the "300MHz Pentium Pro"=20 effectively in the McKinley processors plus be able to execute instructions= =20 (SSE, etc.) that the embedded IA32 hardware doesn't support. At LinuxWorld/SF last month I cornered techs from Intel, Red Hat and SuSE=20 specifically to ask about BTRANS. I discovered that it's now called "IA-32= =20 Execution Layer" and the story from both Intel and SuSE was that it's being= =20 incorporated into the "next release" of major Linux distributions for IA64 = (e.g., SLES 8.1 or 9.0). The Red Hat guy said something about it "isn't=20 open source" so they weren't planning to include it. After relating Red=20 Hat's comments to the Intel folks, they simply said they would see that the= =20 appropriate folks at Intel talk to Red Hat about it. http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20030630comp.htm [or: http://tinyurl.com/mtxw ] >>In addition, later this year Intel plans to introduce [...] the IA-32=20 >>Execution Layer, a software technology that will enhance the performance = >>of 32-bit applications running on the Itanium processor family-based=20 >>platforms. Prior to the IA-32 Execution Layer release, Microsoft will=20 >>offer a preview of the technology to end users who participate in the=20 >>Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 beta program. http://www.intel.com/ebusiness/pdf/prod/itanium/dp_qrg.pdf [or: http://tinyurl.com/mtyy ] >>IA-32 Application Support: Today, like all Itanium 2 processors, Itanium = >>2 processor 1.40 GHz with 1.5M L3 cache and Low Voltage Itanium 2=20 >>processor offer support for IA-32 applications. To further enhance this=20 >>capability Intel will soon introduce a new technology called IA-32=20 >>Execution Layer.=86=86 >>=86=86 Intel and Microsoft plan to introduce the IA-32 Execution Layer wi= th=20 >>Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 http://www.intel.com/ebusiness/pdf/prod/itanium/ds022001.pdf [or: http://tinyurl.com/mtz1 ] >>IA-32 Application Support: Today, all Itanium 2 processors offer support = >>for IA-32 applications; a new technology called IA-32 Execution Layer=20 >>will further enhance this capability in 2H =9203. Of course, maximum performance requires native execution. Compiling=20 performance-critical code with an optimizing native compiler is the proper = solution. -- Jeff Woods =20