Inter-architecture compatability module to allow code module of one architecture to use library module of another architecture

• US 10,120,663 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hasabnis, Niranjan, Srinivas, Suresh, Bobba, Jayaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Mongbao
• Application Number:
  US14/229,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/433 Dependency analysis; Data or control flow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4552 Involving translation to a different instruction set architecture, e.g. just-in-time translation in a JVM

Abstract

An inter-architecture compatibility apparatus of an aspect includes a control flow transfer reception module to receive a first call procedure operation, intended for a first architecture library module, from a first architecture code module. The first call procedure operation involves a first plurality of input parameters. An application binary interface (ABI) change module is coupled with the control flow transfer reception module. The ABI change module makes ABI changes to convert the first call procedure operation involving the first plurality of input parameters to a corresponding second call procedure operation involving a second plurality of input parameters. The second call procedure operation is compatible with a second architecture library module. A control flow transfer output module is coupled with the ABI change module. The control flow transfer output module provides the second call procedure operation to the second architecture library module.

Claims

1. An inter-architecture compatibility apparatus comprising:

a control flow transfer reception module that is one or more of (a) included on a die of a Y-bit architecture processor and (b) stored in a memory to receive a first call procedure operation intended for a first X-bit architecture library module, which is to be compatible with an X-bit architecture processor, from a first X-bit architecture code module that is to be running on the Y-bit architecture processor, through function inter-positioning where a wrapper library is to be searched before a first X-bit architecture library is searched, and where a first wrapper module has a same name as the first X-bit architecture library module is to be identified before the first X-bit architecture library module, the first call procedure operation to involve a first plurality of input parameters, wherein the first X-bit architecture library module is one of a C standard library module, a math library module, a glibc module, and a system library module;

an application binary interface (ABI) change module that is one or more of (a) included on the die of the Y-bit architecture processor (b) stored in the memory, and coupled with the control flow transfer reception module, the ABI change module to make ABI changes to convert the first call procedure operation that is to involve the first plurality of input parameters to a corresponding second call procedure operation that is to involve a second plurality of input parameters and that is to be compatible with a second Y-bit architecture library module, which is to be compatible with the Y-bit architecture processor, wherein Y is greater than X; and

a control flow transfer output module that is one or more of (a) included on the die of the Y-bit architecture processor and (b) stored in the memory coupled with the ABI change module, the control flow transfer output module to provide the second call procedure operation to the second Y-bit architecture library module, which is to be compatible with the Y-bit architecture processor on which the first X-bit architecture code module is to be running.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ABI change module is to:

receive a first parameter of the first plurality of input parameters from a stack; and

store a second parameter of the second plurality of input parameters, which is to correspond to the first parameter, in a register that is to be expected to be used for the second parameter by the second Y-bit architecture library module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control flow transfer reception module, the ABI change module, and the control flow transfer output module are part of the first wrapper module that corresponds to the first X-bit architecture library module.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of wrapper modules that each correspond to a different first X-bit architecture library module, wherein each of the plurality of wrapper modules has a control flow transfer reception module, an ABI change module, and a control flow transfer output module.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of wrapper modules has a same name as the corresponding different first X-bit architecture library module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor mode change module that is one or more of (a) included on the die of the Y-bit architecture processor and (b) stored in the memory to determine a type of code selected from a first X-bit architecture code and a second Y-bit architecture code that is to be executed, the processor mode change module to change a code type execution mode of the Y-bit architecture processor to be compatible with the determined type of code to be executed.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor mode change module is to determine the type of code to be executed based on inter-segment control flow transfers between a first segment that is to have all first X-bit architecture code and a second segment that is to have all second Y-bit architecture code.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control flow transfer reception module is to receive the first call procedure operation intended for a 32-bit library module from a 32-bit code module, wherein the ABI change module is to convert the first call procedure operation to the corresponding second call procedure operation that is to be compatible with a 64-bit library module, and wherein the control flow transfer output module is to provide the second call procedure operation to the 64-bit library module.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a maximum bit width of architectural integer registers capable of being used by the first X-bit architecture code module is different than a maximum bit width of architectural integer registers capable of being used by the second Y-bit architecture library module, and wherein the second architecture library module is selected from a math library module and a C standard library module.

10. An inter-architecture compatibility method that is executable by a processor comprising:

receiving a first call procedure operation intended for a first X-bit architecture library module, which is compatible with an X-bit architecture processor, from a first X-bit architecture code module that is to be running on a Y-bit architecture processor, by using function inter-positioning where a wrapper library is searched before a first X-bit architecture library is searched, and where a first wrapper module having a same name as the first X-bit architecture library module is identified before the first X-bit architecture library module, the first call procedure operation involving a first plurality of input parameters, wherein the first X-bit architecture library module is one of a C standard library module, a math library module, a glibc module, and a system library module;

making application binary interface (ABI) changes to convert the first call procedure operation involving the first plurality of input parameters to a corresponding second call procedure operation involving a second plurality of input parameters and that is compatible with a second Y-bit architecture library module, which is compatible with the Y-bit architecture processor, wherein Y is greater than X; and

providing the second call procedure operation to the second Y-bit architecture library module, which is compatible with the Y-bit architecture processor on which the first X-bit architecture code module is running.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a first call procedure operation intended for a first X-bit architecture library module comprises receiving the first call procedure operation intended for a 32-bit library module from a 32-bit code module, and wherein providing comprises providing the second call procedure operation to a 64-bit library module.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a first parameter of the first plurality of input parameters from a stack; and

storing a second parameter of the second plurality of input parameters, the second parameter corresponding to the first parameter, in a register that the second Y-bit architecture library module used to receive the second parameter.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising configuring the first wrapper module to be searched by a dynamic linker before both the first X-bit architecture library module and the second Y-bit architecture library module to be searched.

14. A computer system comprising:

a memory to store a 32-bit code module, a 64-bit library module, and a 64-bit operating system module;

a 64-bit processor coupled with the memory; and

an inter-architecture compatibility module that is one or more of (a) included on a die of the 64-bit processor and (b) stored in the memory to intercept through function inter-positioning a call procedure operation from the 32-bit code module which is to be run on the 64-bit processor for a 32-bit library module, which is to be one of a C standard library module, a math library module, a glibc module, and a system library module, wherein in the function inter-positioning a wrapper library is to be searched before a 32-bit library is searched, and a first wrapper module has a same name as the 32-bit library module is to be identified before the 32-bit library module, and the inter-architecture compatibility module to provide a corresponding call procedure operation to the 64-bit library module, which is to be compatible with and is to be run on the 64-bit processor;

wherein the inter-architecture compatibility module is to make application binary interface (ABI) changes to convert the call procedure operation for the 32-bit library module to the corresponding call procedure operation for the 64-bit library module; and

wherein the 32-bit code module and the 64-bit library module are to be stored in different segments in the memory, and wherein a segment that is to store the 32-bit code module is to use flat addressing.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer system does not have the 32-bit library module.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the computer system does not have any 32-bit library modules.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer system comprises a smartphone.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the processor to perform operations including to:

receive through function inter-positioning a first call procedure operation intended for a first X-bit architecture library module, which is to be compatible with an X-bit architecture processor, from a first X-bit architecture code module that is to be running on a Y-bit architecture processor, wherein in the function inter-positioning a wrapper library is to be searched before a first X-bit architecture library is searched, and where a first wrapper module has a same name as the first X-bit architecture library module is to be identified before the first X-bit architecture library module, the first call procedure operation involving a first plurality of input parameters, wherein the first X-bit architecture library module is one of a C standard library module, a math library module, a glibc module, and a system library module;

make application binary interface (ABI) changes to convert the first call procedure operation involving the first plurality of input parameters to a corresponding second call procedure operation involving a second plurality of input parameters; and

provide the second call procedure operation to a second Y-bit architecture library module, which is to be compatible with the Y-bit architecture processor on which the first X-bit architecture code module is to be running, wherein Y is greater than X.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the instructions executed by the processor of the computer system, cause the processor to perform operations including to:

receive the first call procedure operation intended for a 32-bit library module from a 32-bit code module that is to be running on the Y-bit architecture processor; and

provide the second call procedure operation to a 64-bit library module.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 18, further storing instructions executed by the processor of the computer system, cause the processor to perform operations including to:

receive a first parameter of the first plurality of input parameters from a stack; and

store a second parameter of the second plurality of input parameters, the second parameter corresponding to the first parameter, in a register that the second Y-bit architecture library module is to have used to receive the second parameter.