Re: [BUG] x86 kenel won't boot under Virtual PC

From: H. Peter Anvin
Date: Mon Sep 08 2008 - 15:10:28 EST


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.Linus Torvalds wrote:

Yes, it does:

/* We need to decide which NOP sequence to use for 32bit and
64bit. When -mtune= is used:

1. For PROCESSOR_I386, PROCESSOR_I486, PROCESSOR_PENTIUM and
PROCESSOR_GENERIC32, f32_patt will be used.
2. For PROCESSOR_PENTIUMPRO, PROCESSOR_PENTIUM4, PROCESSOR_NOCONA,
PROCESSOR_CORE, PROCESSOR_CORE2, and PROCESSOR_GENERIC64,
alt_long_patt will be used.
3. For PROCESSOR_ATHLON, PROCESSOR_K6, PROCESSOR_K8 and
PROCESSOR_AMDFAM10, alt_short_patt will be used.

When -mtune= isn't used, alt_long_patt will be used if
cpu_arch_isa_flags has Cpu686. Otherwise, f32_patt will
be used.

"alt_long_patt" uses NOPL and its variants.

That is A TOTAL PIECE OF SH*T, and against gcc's own documentation.

"-mtune=x" is very much defined to be a performance _tuning_ option, not an "architectural" option.

Quite frankly, this is a gcc bug. Plain and simple.


OK, digging some more into this garbage...

Apparently the situation isn't quite as dire as it first seems.
At least gcc 4.3.0 doesn't actually pass -mtune= to gas; it just drops the option on the floor. This means this bug isn't manifest when calling from gcc (as opposed to invoking as directly.)

However, I would still like to push the following patch to be on the safe side, ok?

-hpa