patch-2.3.43 linux/Documentation/ia64/README

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+        Linux kernel release 2.3.xx for the IA-64 Platform
+
+   These are the release notes for Linux version 2.3 for IA-64
+   platform.  This document provides information specific to IA-64
+   ONLY, to get additional information about the Linux kernel also
+   read the original Linux README provided with the kernel.
+ 
+INSTALLING the kernel:
+
+ - IA-64 kernel installation is the same as the other platforms, see
+   original README for details.
+   
+ 
+SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
+
+   Compiling and running this kernel requires an IA-64 compliant GCC
+   compiler.  And various software packages also compiled with an
+   IA-64 compliant GCC compiler.
+ 
+
+CONFIGURING the kernel:
+
+   Configuration is the same, see original README for details.
+  
+   
+COMPILING the kernel:
+
+ - Compiling this kernel doesn't differ from other platform so read
+   the original README for details BUT make sure you have an IA-64
+   compliant GCC compiler.
+ 
+IA-64 SPECIFICS
+
+ - Security related issues:
+ 
+    o mmap needs to check whether mapping would overlap with the
+      address-space hole in a region or whether the mapping would be
+      across regions.  In both cases, mmap should fail.
+ 
+    o ptrace is a huge security hole right now as it does not reject
+      writing to security sensitive bits (such as the PSR!).
+ 
+ - General issues:
+ 
+    o Kernel modules aren't supported yet.
+ 
+    o For non-RT signals, siginfo isn't passed through from the kernel
+      to the point where the signal is actually delivered.  Also, we
+      should make sure the siginfo data is compliant with the UNIX
+      ABI.
+ 
+    o Hardly any performance tuning has been done. Obvious targets
+      include the library routines (memcpy, IP checksum, etc.). Less
+      obvious targets include making sure we don't flush the TLB
+      needlessly, etc. Also, the TLB handlers should probably try to
+      do a speculative load from the virtually mapped linear page
+      table and only if that fails fall back on walking the page table
+      tree.
+	  
+    o Discontigous large memory support; memory above 4GB will be
+      discontigous since the 4GB-64MB is reserved for firmware and I/O
+      space.
+ 
+    o Correct mapping for PAL runtime code; PAL code needs to be
+      mapped by a TR.
+
+    o Make current IRQ/IOSAPIC handling closer to IA32 such as,
+      disable/enable interrupts, use of INPROGRESS flag etc.
+ 
+    o clone system call implementation; needs to setup proper backing
+      store
+ 
+    o SMP locks cleanup/optimization
+	
+    o IA32 support.  Currently experimental.  It mostly works but
+      there are problems with some dynamically loaded programs.

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