Linux 6.7 To Make It Easier To Toggle Support For x86 32-bit Programs

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 6.7 To Make It Easier To Toggle Support For x86 32-bit Programs

The Linux kernel currently allows disabling support for 32-bit programs and 32-bit system calls at compile-time, but a new option expected to be introduced with Linux 6.7 this winter will provide a new "ia32_emulation" boot time option to allow unconditionally disabling support for 32-bit programs and system calls...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.7-ia32_emulation-Boot

[EphemeralEft]

Why is it being called “emulation”? Isn’t it running natively on the hardware?

[NotMine999]

Sounds like this boot-time option can reduce your computer's "attack surface" if you do not use any 32-bit apps. That would be useful.

[Joe2021]

Sounds like this boot-time option can reduce your computer's "attack surface" if you do not use any 32-bit apps. That would be useful.

Just disable it completly, so the support is even not compiled into the kernel. KISS.

[MorrisS.]

What about 2bit?

[discordian]

Just disable it completly, so the support is even not compiled into the kernel. KISS.

This. If you need it anywhere you dont care for toggling it on/off, otherwise you dont want it.

I could image using it specifically only in containerized apps, but that would then need to be an namespaced option.
At which point you could also just register a qemu-handler using binfmt (when finally this is made namespace-aware https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/[email protected]/T/ )

[archkde]

Just disable it completly, so the support is even not compiled into the kernel. KISS.

And now I have to recompile the kernel all the time. Great idea /s.

[JEBjames]

How much smaller/faster is the kernel if you set all the kernel compiler flags to completely remove all 32bit support?

[fitzie]

Why is it being called “emulation”? Isn’t it running natively on the hardware?

The kernel is a 64 bit kernel, so it has to appear and behave like a 32bit kernel, hence the emulation.

[jacob]

How much smaller/faster is the kernel if you set all the kernel compiler flags to completely remove all 32bit support?

Most likely there is zero difference in size or performance. The point of this is to disable an unnecessary entry point to syscalls in setups where it is not needed. In practice that would be everything except on the desktop.