Start x86_64 code on x86 (32bit) Linux, running on x86_64 CPU

Question

?Is it possible to start an x86_64 code on i686 Linux (x86, 32-bit)? My CPU is modern Core 2 and it can run x86_64 64-bit code itself, but the OS is 32bit.

The code

Answer 1

There is a cycle-accurate simulator for x86/x86_64. By default it will emulate AMD's K8

PTLsim is a state of the art cycle accurate microprocessor simulator and virtual machine for the x86 and x86-64 instruction sets. PTLsim models a full out of order processor core, featuring extensive memory and branch speculation with replay, a highly configurable clustered microarchitecture with various issue queue designs, a full cache hierarchy and memory subsystem and supporting hardware.

Unfortunately it can't run an x86_64 code on 32-bit x86 (cite from FAQ)

Of course, the 32-bit version of PTLsim will lack x86-64 support

But the speed should correlate with real run and a lot of information is available.