new amd cpu & red hat

[Cl4rk K3nt]

Hello , first off I'm new to the forums here, I'd like to say it's nice to see forums like this around I know when my friends started using linux it was alittle harder to get info..
With that out of the way I was wondering if anybody's heard about the new amd cpu the
"shedgehead" I beleive is the name of it.. It's made for 64-bit processing. I'm planning on getting this processor and using it with red hat 7.2.. I was wondering if there is support for 64-bit from the kernel already?
If not does anybody know if it's being planned on? I know alpha is supported and it's 64-bit but I don't know if it's within the kernel already or if it's an add-on you have to goto a redhat network to download..Also if it is within the kernel will it have to be modified to work with another processor.. I know this maybe a silly question but noone I know that knows linux can really answer this one.. Thank you for you co-operation in advance.. :)

[bwkaz]

The AMD Sledgehammer (if that's what it is -- I think so, but I'm not sure either) processors use the same instruction set as the AMD Athlons use (which is the same as is used for the Intel Pentium Pro/2/3/4 chips).

So no, you wouldn't need to use a different kernel for those processors. You wouldn't even have to recompile the kernel (you would have to recompile if you went to Alpha).

Now the Intel IA-64, OTOH, is not backwards compatible (go figure...), so to run the kernel on that processor, they (the kernel developers) would have to wait for support for it in gcc first, then change some of the bootup code, then recompile everything else.

[Lorithar]

*grins*

There will be support for 64 bit instructions on the new AMD chips, but you will want to upgrade yer compiler.

(corrected hyper fingers)

[ 20 June 2002: Message edited by: Lorithar ]

[bwkaz]

Originally posted by Lorithar:
<STRONG>*grins*

There will be support for 64 bit instructions on the new AMD chips, but you will want to upgrade yer compiler.</STRONG>

Well yeah, to use them you will.

Now that I think about it, that didn't come off the way I was intending.

The AMD chips will run 32-bit code without changes, but if you want to take advantage of the 64-bit-ness, you'll have to recompile (once support for the new instruction set is added to your compiler of choice, of course).

Intel chips will not have the option of running 32-bit code anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if they just didn't want to have to support another whole set of "modes" (like in the [3456]86 chips: real mode, protected mode, V86 mode, system management mode, etc., etc.).

[ 21 June 2002: Message edited by: bwkaz ]

[otheos]

No the Hammer needs specific kernel support, not yet implemented in 2.4 kernels.

AMD is working with SuSe to build support for it in the next stable line (2.6 or 3.x), so by the time the Hammer is out, there will be a kernel for it :)

[Cl4rk K3nt]

Cool, thanks alot guys.. :)