# GNU/Hurd development updates for Q1 2024

DevFeed: [GNU/Hurd development updates for Q1 2024](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/2024-q1-32744.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/news/2024-q1.html>)

Published: 2024-04-05T11:07:00Z

Content type: news

Language: en

Sources: [GNU Hurd](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/gnu-hurd.md>)

Topics: [GNU/Hurd](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gnu-hurd.md>), [gdb](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gdb.md>), [qemu](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/qemu.md>)

Tags: [compiler](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compiler.md>), [gdb](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gdb.md>), [gnu-hurd](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gnu-hurd.md>), [qemu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/qemu.md>), [test](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/test.md>)

## AI overview

The Q1 2024 GNU/Hurd update reports work on keyboard layout support, 64-bit and AArch64 porting, GDB and glibc changes, SMP support, hardware support, testing with QEMU, and a new Alpine-based Hurd distribution in development.

## Source excerpt

Hello! Welcome to a new qoth. This qoth covers new and interesting GNU/Hurd developments in Q1 of 2024! Details. Etienne Brateau modified console-client to use xkbcommon instead of x11 for xkb extended support, which improves keyboard layout coverage a lot! Flavio Cruz also worked on porting GDB to the 64-bit Hurd, implemented setcontext/getcontext/makecontext/swapcontex () in glibc, and implemented child process resource accounting. The latter implementsgetrusage(RUSAGE_CHILDREN, ) and populates child related data in times(). He fixed the perl testsuite for the Hurd, and he also posted a RFC to enhance tracing utilities, which he used to port the RPC format to 64 bit. Flavio also had a smattering of fixes here, here, here, here, and here. Damien Zammit had some fixes including fixing the console with APIC enabled, patching GNU Mach to support ACPI v2, fixing baud rate on com ports, porting the Hurd to some AMD CPUs (WIP), adding HPET (high precision timers). He also worked on making ext2fs use xattr by default to store translators. Damien also worked on more SMP fixes here, here, here, here, here, and here. Hurd currently boots in SMP mode on the BSP. Damien wrote a test program that lets you run a task on the APs. Sergey Bugaev patched binutils to support the GNU/Hurd on AArch64, and he wrote some patches to make the Hurd easier to port here, here, and here, Sergey also posted a fairly large RFC patch series for his AArch64 port. He writes: MIG seems to just work (thanks to all of Flávio's work!). I'm using the same message ABI as on x86_64, and haven't seen any issues so far -- neither compiler errors / failed static assertions (about struct sizes and such), nor hardware errors from misaligned accesses. He also mentions that "the hardware hardening features (BTI, MTE, PAC) are currently 'not really supported', but I do want to support them in the future." Samuel merged many of the patches. In Sergey's later glibc patch series, he wrote about the AArch64 port progr