Efficiently Migrate Byte-Order-Sensitive Applications

Overview

Migrating large legacy applications from one endian architecture to another is often hampered by byte order dependencies hidden in millions of lines of code. Finding and addressing these dependencies can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.

The bi-endian Intel® C++ Compiler helps bypass the struggle, enabling application migration from big-endian computer systems to little-endian systems based on Intel® architecture.

Using this product you can:

• Get faster time to value, such as a quicker time to profit for a solution
• Overcome legacy platform lock-in due to big-endian software dependencies
• Deliver outstanding application performance

Release Notes
Documentation
Support

Features

• Includes Interprocedural Optimization (IPO) and Profile-Guided Optimization (PGO) techniques
• Fully supports the Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (Intel® SSE3), Intel SSE4.x, Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions, Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 2, and Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 512
• Vectorizes loops automatically
• Automatically detects processor generation and dispatches the right runtime, increasing performance
• Compatible with ISO and ANSI for C and C++
• Source and binary compatible with GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)*, including most GNU C language extensions

Endian Migration & Support

• Speeds migration and validation of C and C++ applications developed for big-endian systems, both IA-32 and IA-64 architectures.
• Accelerates migration time to value in moving from big-endian architectures with minimal code changes required. (It’s not a rewrite.)
• Breaks big-endian software dependencies, which frees you from limited or aging computer hardware options.
• Supports one code base for big- and little-endian architectures—especially important for projects requiring multiarchitecture support over time.
• Assists with code generation for 32-bit targets (using the 64-bit compiler). A separate compiler for IA-32 architecture is not required.
• Provides x32 application binary interface (ABI) support on MontaVista CGE7* systems for Linux*, giving developers architecture options for generating x32 ABI-compatible code. This helps increase performance on IA-64 architecture and is a simple way for big-endian architectures to benefit from these Intel® platforms.

Prerequisites

The bi-endian Intel C++ Compiler is a command-line-oriented compiler that runs on Linux* and creates executables for systems based on Intel architecture.

System Hardware

PC based on an IA-32 or IA-64 architecture supporting Intel SSE2—a Pentium® 4 processor (or later) or a compatible third-party processor.

System Software

One of the following operating environments for your development system:

• Debian* 7.0, 8.0
• Fedora* 20, 21
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 5, 6, 7
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server* 11, 12
• Ubuntu* 12.04 LTS (64-bit only), 13.10, 14.04 LTS