Re: Why is "GenuineIntel" the default vendor_id?

Nate Eldredge (nate@cartsys.com)
Mon, 25 Jan 1999 21:48:53 -0800

Richard B. Johnson wrote:
>
> On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Nate Eldredge wrote:
>
> > Subject probably says it. Why is "GenuineIntel" the default vendor ID
> > reported by /proc/cpuinfo? Seems likely to cause a lot of confusion.
> > (It sure confused me at first!)
> >
> It isn't. The default vendor is "unknown". When the processor(s) are
> tested, the characteristics are checked and the vendors are then usually
> identified.

I'm talking about 2.0.36 (which I forgot to mention, sorry), and this
line appears in arch/i386/kernel/setup.c:

char x86_vendor_id[13] = "GenuineIntel";/* default */

And this IBM 486SLC machine reports:

processor : 0
cpu : 486
model : 486 DX-25/33
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
stepping : unknown
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : no
cpuid : no
wp : yes
flags :
bogomips : 18.94

It does indeed not have CPUID (too old); it generates SIGILL.

I know that machines that have CPUID will report their vendor correctly
(as does my AMD K6-2 box).

Incidentally, I'm also not sure what makes it decide that it's a 486
DX-25/33. As I said, it's an SLC, and it's clocked at 66 MHz. (It's
probably comparable in performance to a 486 DX/33-- is that what it's
trying to say? ;-)

A glance at semi-recent 2.1.x sources shows that this is all different,
so I believe you that 2.1/2.2 reports "unknown". I'm wondering why
2.0.x shouldn't do the same; it makes so much more sense...

Thanks, in advance.

-- 


Nate Eldredge
nate@cartsys.com


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