Re: RFC: [2.6 patch] better i386 CPU selection

Mikael Pettersson
2003-09-07T16:48:06Z

On Sun, 7 Sep 2003 13:28:13 +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote:
>The patch below tries to implement a better i386 CPU selection.
>
>In 2.4 selecting e.g. M486 has the semantics to get a kernel that runs
>on a 486 and above.
>
>In 2.6 selecting M486 means that only the 486 is supported.

Can you prove your claim about 2.6?

There is to the best of my knowledge nothing in 2.6.0-test4
that prevents a kernel compiled for CPU type N from working
with CPU types >N. Just to prove it, I built a CONFIG_M486
2.6.0-test4 and booted it w/o problems on P4, PIII, and K6-III.

>There are two different needs:
>1. the installation kernel of a distribution should support all CPUs
> this distribution supports (perhaps starting with the 386)
>2. a sysadmin might e.g. want a kernel that support both a Pentium-III
> and a Pentium 4, but doesn't need to support a 386

How are 1 and 2 different? Both need support for CPU type N
or higher. Since a kernel configured for a lower CPU type
still works on higher CPU types, where is the problem?
(In case 2 configure for PIII and use that on PIII and P4.)

Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see any problem here.

/Mikael