32 to 64 bit recompiler comments

Hi,


We need 64 bit versions of some plugins to run in the 64 bit apps. Is
there any work to make a 32-bit to 64-bit recompiler, or relinker? My
search shows this is a hard problem for disparate processor families
but does this sound possible for Opteron? Curiously, the vendor has
yet to release the 64 bit compilation for Linux of its code.


What would be the cost to make such a tool? 1 expert man year? 10?


Thanks!
TimJowers


[Mechanically translating the 32 bit instructions into 64 bit
instructions wouldn't be hard, but it also wouldn't give you anything
useful. This sounds like an AI problem to me, since you'd have to
figure out what the data structures are that are passed in and out.
If you know what the interface specs to the plugins are, you might be
able to build shims that are called from the 64 bit code, reformat the
input arguments to their 32 bit equivalents, somehow leap into 32 bit
mode to run the 32 bit plugin, leap back when it returns, reformat the
output arguments, and return. Gross though that is, it'd be a lot
easier than figuring out and translating the 32 bit code. -John]

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