Re: Add RISC-V Zbb popcount optimization - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Greg Burd
Subject Re: Add RISC-V Zbb popcount optimization
Date
Msg-id b372e6c4-f68a-40be-bb25-a34f23725f25@app.fastmail.com
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Add RISC-V Zbb popcount optimization  (Andres Freund <andres@anarazel.de>)
List pgsql-hackers
On Sat, Mar 21, 2026, at 2:36 PM, Andres Freund wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On 2026-03-21 12:54:10 -0400, Greg Burd wrote:
>> Attached is a small patch that enables hardware popcount on RISC-V when
>> available and also sets the arch flag to 'rv64gc_zbb' flag when appropriate.
>
> Maybe I'm missing something: How is the latter approach safe without a runtime
> check?  Just because it compiled on the build machine with -march=rv64gc_zbb
> added doesn't mean it runs on either the build machine or any other machine?
>
> If this worked, the compiler could just always specify -march=rv64gc_zbb, no?

Hey Andres, thanks for taking a look.

You are correct, mea culpa for not catching this before I sent it out.  If the second test succeeds the patch will add
`-march=rv64gc_zbb`to `CFLAGS` globally, which means without the runtime check the binary will crash with SIGILL on
systemswithout Zbb.
 

I'll rework... :)

> Greetings,
>
> Andres Freund

best.

-greg



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