On 19.08.2010, at 14:32, Adam Lackorzynski wrote: > > On Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 13:40:54 +0200, Alexander Graf wrote: >> >> On 19.08.2010, at 13:36, Adam Lackorzynski wrote: >> >>> >>> On Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 13:27:32 +0200, Alexander Graf wrote: >>>> >>>> On 19.08.2010, at 13:24, Adam Lackorzynski wrote: >>>> >>>>> A via -kernel supplied x86_64 ELF image is being started in 32bit mode. >>>>> Detect and exit if a 64bit image has been supplied. >>>> >>>> According to the multiboot spec, this is the expected behavior, no? At >>>> least Xen does it that way... >>> >>> Yes, but then the supplied ELF-image should say it's a 32bit one and >>> switch to 64bit mode itself. That's at least how we do load a 64bit >>> kernel. >> >> Hrm - maybe you're right: >> >> busu:~ # readelf -a /boot/xen >> ELF Header: >> Magic: 7f 45 4c 46 01 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 >> Class: ELF32 >> >> What does the spec say here? What does grub do? > > Grub starts the (multiboot-)OS in 32bit mode. Starting directly in 64bit > mode would require to setup page-tables etc. which is not done. > The Spec doesn't mention 64bit OS at all, and says that 32bit OSs are > fine ("An OS image may be an ordinary 32-bit executable file in the > standard format for that particular operating system, except that it may > be linked at a non-default load address to avoid loading on top of the > ...");
I think we should do the same grub does here. If grub loads 64-bit elf binaries and runs them in 32-bit mode, we should too. If it refuses to load them, we should too. Alex