Linux tries to maintain a neat distinction between hardware-dependent and hardware-independent source code. To that end, both the arch and the include directories include 23 subdirectories that correspond to the different types of hardware platforms supported. The standard names of the platforms are:
- alpha
Hewlett-Packard’s Alpha workstations (originally Digital, then Compaq; no longer manufactured)
- arm, arm26
ARM processor-based computers such as PDAs and embedded devices
- cris
“Code Reduced Instruction Set” CPUs used by Axis in its thin-servers, such as web cameras or development boards
- frv
Embedded systems based on microprocessors of the Fujitsu’s FR-V family
- h8300
Hitachi h8/300 and h8S RISC 8/16-bit microprocessors
- i386
IBM-compatible personal computers based on 80×86 microprocessors
- ia64
Workstations based on the Intel 64-bit Itanium microprocessor
- m32r
Computers based on the Renesas M32R family of microprocessors
- m68k, m68knommu
Personal computers based on Motorola MC680×0 microprocessors
- mips
Workstations based on MIPS microprocessors, such as those marketed by Silicon Graphics
- parisc
Workstations based on Hewlett Packard HP 9000 PA-RISC microprocessors
- ppc, ppc64
Workstations based on the 32-bit and 64-bit Motorola-IBM PowerPC microprocessors
- s390
IBM ESA/390 and zSeries mainframes
- sh, sh64
Embedded systems based on SuperH microprocessors developed by Hitachi and STMicroelectronics
- sparc, sparc64
Workstations based on Sun Microsystems SPARC and 64-bit Ultra SPARC microprocessors
- um
User Mode Linux, a virtual platform that allows developers to run a kernel in User Mode
- v850
NEC V850 microcontrollers that incorporate a 32-bit RISC core based on the Harvard architecture
- x86_64
Workstations based on the AMD’s 64-bit microprocessors—such Athlon and Opteron —and Intel’s ia32e/EM64T 64-bit microprocessors
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