TODO

PA-RISC status and TODO 2025-09-21

Kernel

QEMU full system emulation

QEMU user-mode emulation

Google Summer of Code (GSoC) ideas:

glibc

executable stack

TODO: Convert gcc nested function trampoline (pa_asm_trampoline_template) to don’t need an executable stack

(see https://lore.kernel.org/all/87lebjz9z6.fsf@gentoo.org/) Starting with Kernel 5.18, the parisc Linux kernel gained support to run without executable stacks. In gcc-14 GNU stack notes were enabled. An executable stack is still needed by applications for nested functions. They are still called via a stack trampoline. The GNU stack note indicates whether an object needs an executable stack or not. These notes are collected by linker. The glibc loader determines whether to setup an executable stack or not.

Once gcc-14 becomes the default compiler, we will have to enable GNU stack notes in previous gcc versions. We will still have executable stacks until everything is rebuilt. We will need to update that default in Binutils too. Currently (nov 2023), there are no architecture dependencies in the ld –enable-warn-execstack and –enable-default-execstack configure options. The -z execstack and -z noexecstack ld options can override the GNU notes, or lack thereof. We may have to fix some assembly code. Maybe binutils should be built with –enable-warn-execstack once we switch to gcc-14. I don’t think we want –enable-default-execstack after switching to gcc-14.

Debian

  • ask to get palo-installer, partman-palo, aboot-installer into debian-installer (import from old Git-Backup, Alex Wirt?) - Mail from Adrian 05/30/23

gcc compiler

JAVA

  • Finish OpenJDK, see patch and mail from Adrian Glaubitz 05.02.2021.

  • IMPORTANT: fix OpenJDK - fixes required in zeroport (stack grows up!).

Rust language

kernel work

Debian packages / Userspace work

  • STARTED: Port grub2 to hppa? -> https://github.com/hdeller/grub

  • Various big endian issues, see mail thread “s390x architecture status?”: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/10/msg00295.html

  • WebKitGTK still builds in s390x, but the Skia graphics library does not support big-endian machines so if the Cairo backend is ever dropped then we probably won’t be able to support s390x any longer: https://github.com/WebKit/WebKit/blob/webkitgtk-2.47.1/Source/ThirdParty/skia/include/private/base/SkLoadUserConfig.h#L56

  • teach “blkid” about palo partition

  • Circular dependency problems with kde packages caused by vlc and ffmpeg (Dave)

  • Solution: Rebuild ffmpeg outside the buildd (as some dependencies have probably been deleted) and upload a +b1 version. Then trigger bin-nmu of phonon package. Finally this resolves then the dependencies of vlc, ffmpeg, phonon, chromaprint, polkit-kde-agent-1, kwrited, kwallet-kf5 and libkf5notifications-dev…

  • Due to very bad performance running multiple copies of dot program (Dave)

  • In vtk6 debian package, adding DOT_NUM_THREADS = 1 helps.

  • Floating point NaN (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NaN)

  • PA-RISC uses “mips” NaN format which differs from x86, etc. It should be called PA-RISC format as I think PA was first. The quiet NaN bit is opposite to than in current IEEE standard.

  • Debian packages with NaN issues: libime, capnproto, python-shapely .. code-block:: pycon * 00800000017FF80000000000007FF80000000000007FF8000000000000 * vs. 00800000017FF7FFFFFFFFFFFF7FF7FFFFFFFFFFFF7FF7FFFFFFFFFFFF

palo (PA-RISC Boot Loader)

  • PALO - add regular rewind & load to avoid tftp boot timing issues. See mail from Frank Schreiner “PALO issues” (Dec 2018).

  • When listing directory contents, resolve and print symlink target file names too, e.g. “vmlinux -> linux-5.12.1-64bit”.

  • Fix palo deb package to build iplboot natively (https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=851792)

  • Modify (if possible), that palo can read (sequential) tftpbootable-vmlinuxes as well as the current boot-vmlinux images (simplifies build/handling)

DONE items

Debian kernel and userspace programs

Debian kernel / Generic Kernel bugs fixed

ABI breakages (e.g. dropped HP-UX support)

parisc-linux.org Homepage and Debian build server infrastructure work

Linus Torvalds talking about parisc

Testsuites, kernel and userspace testing tools

TODO Drivers

  • write Lasi floppy driver

  • write Suckyio floppy driver

  • write spifi driver (rbrad)

  • modify ncr53c8xx driver for Outfield (735 & 755)

  • write GSC FDDI driver

  • write Timi ASIC (74x) support

  • EISA DMA support

Review all the todo entries below!