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Re: [Qemu-devel] [Bug 596106] Re: kvm to emulate 64 bit cpu on 32 bit ho
From: |
Jamie Lokier |
Subject: |
Re: [Qemu-devel] [Bug 596106] Re: kvm to emulate 64 bit cpu on 32 bit host |
Date: |
Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:46:03 +0100 |
User-agent: |
Mutt/1.5.13 (2006-08-11) |
Natalia Portillo wrote:
> You got the point wrong, I'm talking running WITH 64 bit hardware in a
> 32 bit guest.
> This is done in Mac OS X Leopard (kernel is only 32 bit) and Mac OS X
> Snow Leopard (using 32 bit kernel not 64 bit one) by VMWare, Parallels
> and VirtualBox, as well as on Windows 32 bit using VMWare (dunno about
> VBox and Parallels, VirtualPC is unable to run 64 bit guests at all
> even on 64 bit hosts), just provided of course, the hardware is 64
> bit.
Ah yes, Mac OS X too.
Apart from breaking userspace, the other reason people stick with
32-bit host kernels on both Windows and Macs is the 64-bit device
drivers often don't work properly, or aren't available at all. They
continue to improve, but still aren't as mature and dependable as
32-bit drivers.
This is also true of Linux 64-bit kernels - both bugs and unavailable
third party drivers/firmware. (But less so than the other OSes.)
So even with Linux people cannot assume dropping in a 64-bit host
kernel is always free of kernel/driver issues.
Marking this feature request "won't fix" is just a statement that KVM
developers aren't inclined to support this feature.
But there's nothing to stop an interested contributor having a go.
I'm sure if it works and the code is clean enough it will be accepted.
> VirtualPC is unable to run 64 bit guests at all even on 64 bit
> hosts
Are you sure? Microsoft provides numerous downloadable 64-bit guest
Windows images, and VirtualPC is Microsoft's; they must be running on
something.
-- Jamie