The IBM Systems Application Advantage for Linux, also known as the
Chiphopper offering, helps developers whose applications run on x86 Linux systems by
providing tools to scrub their C/C++ code for portability prior to porting to System
p, System i, or System z. Source hardware platforms for 32- and 64-bit applications
are x86, EM64T, and AMD systems running Linux Standard Base (LSB) 3.x certified
Linux distributions.
The IBM Systems Application Advantage™ for Linux®, also known as
the Chiphopper offering, helps developers whose applications run on x86 Linux
systems by providing tools to scrub their C/C++ code for portability prior to
porting to System p, System i, or System z. Source hardware platforms for 32- and
64-bit applications are x86, EM64T, and AMD systems running
Linux Standard Base (LSB) 3.x certified Linux distributions.
The first set of tools used in the Chiphopper offering comes from the Linux
Standard Base (LSB), a project of the
Linux Foundation. When
using standard interfaces, the developer can have confidence that these interfaces
will be stable over time. Developers can focus on adding new functionality to
enhance the application instead of having to rewrite over and over for changing
interfaces. Developers can use the LSB
Application Testkit Manager,
located on the Linux Foundation Web site, to check whether the interfaces used by
an application are part of an LSB standard.
The Chiphopper offering has been available to independent software vendors
(ISVs) since 2005. It lets ISVs maximize opportunity by helping them offer their
applications across the wide variety of IBM hardware platforms running Linux
operating systems.
With increasing interest from customers in consolidating their smaller
individual systems onto Linux partitions, IBM is now offering the Chiphopper
tools to all developers.
When using this tool, you will have the opportunity to share your system
dependencies (APIs you call) with the LSB. The list of system functions you use
generally will not be sensitive information for applications, and we encourage you
to use the option on the Application Testkit Manager site to upload your journal
information if appropriate. A better understanding of what real users need in
their applications greatly benefits the LSB and helps ensure that it addresses the
most important interfaces. Note that there are tools for C and C++ applications as
well as new test scripts for Perl and Python.
The second tool set used in the Chiphopper offering, the Linux Cross-platform
Tool (LCT), comes from the Chiphopper team and was developed by IBM.
To request access to this tool, please e-mail the Chiphopper team
with your request.
While we are completing our download site, we will send you the license
information by e-mail and, after you have agreed to the it, we will send the code
package. Note that both the binaries and the source code need to be available for
LCT to do its work, and you may need to do a special build in
order to make symbols in your code available for analysis.
The Chiphopper LCT tool runs on x86 Linux Standard Base (LSB) certified Linux
systems on x86 platforms. It works with your application executable and your
application source code. Items identified by the tool may require code changes for
cross-platform portability or they may have potential issues that the tool is not
able to completely analyze but points out for follow up.
Follow the steps below to prepare your x86, EM64T, or AMD system and your
application for the Chiphopper LCT:
Check to see whether your development Linux x86 system is
certified for LSB 3.0 or higher.
The Chiphopper LCT runs most reliably on standard systems. Install your source
code as if you were ready to build your application on this system.
If you haven't already done so,
please e-mail the Chiphopper team
with your request.
Install per the instructions in the portability tool guide that is included in
the package.
Build your application with debug flags turned on as documented in the LCT
guide to use this information in its screening. Be sure both your source code
and executables are available.
Run LCT against your application. The overall process is described in the
portability tool guide.
Process the output of the tool. Your run will be successful if no errors
are reported in the report files or if you can confirm that for each reported
error, the code is actually portable across hardware architectures. The
portability tool guide includes an appendix listing the "fatal" and "warning"
error codes and explanations.
Ensure that you have also processed any third-party packages that your
application requires. If the third-party package versions are participants in
the Chiphopper offering, they have already been checked for portability. You
can find Chiphopper validated products in the
IBM Global Solutions Directory.
Use the search facility for Validations and select Ready For IBM
Systems with Linux.
