Hi
I did it basically because i had to migrate our VMWare infrastructure from an Intel-based machine to an AMD-based one. No problem at all, except some Virtual Machines with slackware and cisco client, used as vpn-gateway from us to some customers. vpnclient and others tools segfaulted with apparently no reason, even after recompiling the kernel module. I installed vpnclient-linux-x86_64-4.8.01.0640-k9 on kernel 2.6.23-smp
So, googled and found (here) that the cause was the incorrect handling of the processor type by binaries, so that they tried to use Intel-specific routines on new AMD CPUs. I never used a debugger or a disassembler under Linux, but i did it for years under DOS/win32, so, i take gdb and objdump and analyzed libs and bins. Wow, i felt young again
I isolated the (wrong on AMD) Intel routines and rewrote them with their AMD counterpart, preserving code alignement and so on. You will notice that binaries are the same size. I started my VPN and ping'ed a customer's server on its LAN, and BINGO, it replied.
That VPN still works after some hours, but nevertheless i consider this set of patched bins *UNOFFICIAL* (of course i do...) *UNSTABLE* and *UNTESTED*.
They WILL NOT WORK on Intel CPU, but hey, if you have an Intel based server, you don't need patching, uh ?
If you try this set please reply to this post with:
- your client version (maybe they'll work with other releases);
- your kernel version
- your CPU version
Have Fun!
