GNU Binutils Prepares For Intel FRED/LKGS
Intel's Flexible Return and Event Delivery (FRED) overhauls how transitions are to happen between privilege levels / CPU rings. FRED aims to lower latency transitions between privilege levels. Developed as part of FRED but can also be used independent of FRED is the LKGS instruction for managing the state of the GS segment register in a more fleixble manner.
The Linux kernel has been seeing preparations for FRED and LKGS while now Binutils/Gas as part of the GNU compiler toolchain has seen its additions for handling these new instructions coming with forthcoming Intel processors.
Complementing the LKGS support in Linux 6.3 is now having LKGS instruction support and FRED instructions within Binutils Git. Intel engineer Jun Zhang landed the necessary changes on the assembler side. In turn this will be part of the Binutils 2.41 release due out in August. This forthcoming release also has AMX-COMPLEX support and other additions for future Intel CPUs.
6 Comments
