docs/internals/multiple-architectures.txt

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Guide to multiple architecture support
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What is achieved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valgrind supports systems where binaries for more than one
architecture can be run.  The current arrangements build:

- single-arch support on x86 and ppc32 systems
- dual-arch support on amd64 and ppc64 systems

To support this the valgrind build system can now build multiple
versions of the coregrind library and of VEX, and then build and link
multiple versions of each tool.

A central notion is that of 'primary' vs 'secondary' platforms.  The
system is built in its entirety for the primary platform, including
performance and regression suites and all auxiliary programs.  For
dual-arch systems, the primary platform is amd64 and ppc64
respectively.

On dual-arch systems, there is a 'secondary' target - x86 and ppc32 
respectively.  The tools are built again for the secondary target, and
the 'valgrind' launcher program can handle executables for either the 
primary or secondary target.  However, the regression and performance
tests and everything else is not rebuilt for the secondary target.

On single-arch systems, there is no secondary target.


How the build system does that
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The keys to understanding this are in:

- configure.in
- Makefile.flags.am
- <tool>/tests/Makefile.am
- <tool>/tests/<arch>/Makefile.am
- perf/Makefile.am

The configure script inspects the CPU.  It then sets

   VG_PLATFORM_PRI to be the primary target
   VG_PLATFORM_SEC to be the secondary target, if any

It also sets one (single-arch build) or two (dual-arch build) of
the following:

  VG_X86_LINUX
  VG_AMD64_LINUX
  VG_PPC32_LINUX
  VG_PPC64_LINUX

On an amd64 system both VG_X86_LINUX and VG_AMD64_LINUX will be true
so that two versions of all the tools will be built.  Similarly on a
ppc64 system both VG_PPC32_LINUX and VG_PPC64_LINUX will be defined.
For the amd64 example, the coregrind libraries will be named:

  libcoregrind_x86_linux.a
  libcoregrind_amd64_linux.a

and the VEX libraries:

  libvex_x86_linux.a
  libvex_amd64_linux.a

Each tool will then be built twice, along with any preload library
for the tool and the core preload libraries. At install time one
subdirectory will be created in the valgrind library directory for
each supported platforms and the tools and shared objects will be
installed in the appropriate place. On amd64 the result will be:

  <prefix>/lib/valgrind
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/default.supp
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/glibc-2.4.supp
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/hp2ps
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/vgpreload_core.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/vgpreload_massif.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/cachegrind
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/memcheck
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/helgrind
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/massif
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/vgpreload_memcheck.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/lackey
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/none
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/amd64-linux/vgpreload_helgrind.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/xfree-3.supp
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/vgpreload_core.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/vgpreload_massif.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/cachegrind
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/memcheck
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/helgrind
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/massif
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/vgpreload_memcheck.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/lackey
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/none
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/x86-linux/vgpreload_helgrind.so
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/glibc-2.3.supp
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/xfree-4.supp
  <prefix>/lib/valgrind/glibc-2.2.supp

The launcher program (ie the valgrind binary itself) is always built
as a program for the primary target (so a 64 bit program on amd64 and
ppc64) but will peek at the program which it is being asked to run and
decide which of the possible tools to run taking both the requested
tool and the format of the program being run into account.

Because the execv system call is now routed back through the launcher
it is also possible to exec an x86 program from an amd64 program and
vice versa.  Ditto ppc32 and ppc64.


Rules for Makefile.am hacking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In places where compilation should happen twice (on a dual-arch
system), the decision about which directories and flags to use is
guarded by the symbols:

  VG_X86_LINUX
  VG_AMD64_LINUX
  VG_PPC32_LINUX
  VG_PPC64_LINUX

But there are also places where building must only happen once,
for the primary architecture.  These places are (at least):

* the launcher, valgrind.c
* all the architecture-independent regression tests
* the performance tests
* optionally, auxilary programs like hp2ps and valgrind-listener

In order to do that, we need to know what flags to use to build for
the primary target, and in particular whether to hand -m32 or -m64 to
gcc.  This is where Makefile.flags.am comes in.

At the bottom of that file are defined AM_CPPFLAGS_PRI, AM_CFLAGS_PRI
and AM_CCASFLAGS_PRI that must be used for compiling for the primary
architecture.  For example, look in coregrind/Makefile.am, and you
will see these flag-sets being used to build the launcher (valgrind).

Also at the bottom of Makefile.flags.am, AM_FLAG_M3264_PRI is defined.
This gives the -m32/-m64 flag needed to build for the primary target.
That flag is also contained within AM_CFLAGS_PRI -- AM_FLAG_M3264_PRI
merely facilitates getting hold of it without the surrounding gunk.

This leads to the final complication: building the regression tests.
Most of them are architecture-neutral and so should be built for the
primary target.  The /test/ Makefile.am's duly include
AM_FLAG_M3264_PRI in the compilation invokations, and you should
ensure you preserve that when adding more tests.

However, there are some arch-specific test directories (eg,
none/tests/ppc32, etc).  In each of these, we implicitly 'know'
whether -m32 or -m64 is the right thing to specify.  So instead of
messing with AM_FLAG_M3264_PRI, these directories merely specific
@FLAG_M32@ or @FLAG_M64@ directly.  (These two symbols are also
automagically set up by configure.in.  Do not use -m32 and -m64
directly - older compilers barf on them).  Another reason not to
use -m32 and -m64 directly is that they are called -maix32 and 
-maix64 on AIX; once again this is taken care of properly if you
use @FLAG_M32@ and @FLAG_M64@ instead.