Linux Computing on PS3 (video link included)

Dec 11, 2006 18:05 Tomonori Shindou, Nikkei Electronics

On November 11, 2006, the "PlayStation 3 (PS3)" was released in Japan. Let alone its use as a game console, Linux performance on the PS3 also draws attention. On November 17, 2006, a week after the market release, the PS3's provider Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. revealed "Other OS Installer," a kit to enable installation of other operating systems than the standard OS onto the PS3, and now users can run Linux and other OSs designed for the PS3.

When releasing the PlayStation 2 (PS2), SCE developed and launched its own Linux distribution dubbed "Linux kit for 'PlayStation 2' (SCPH-10270K)," hereafter PS2 Linux, in June 2001. As for the PS3, SCE decided to distribute "PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit," a kit for Linux distributors to develop their own PS3-compatible Linux, instead of distributing SCE's own Linux itself like the PS2.

The PS2's CPU core was based on MIPS technology, but its architecture was even more unique than other unique MIPS products. In contrast, the Cell's main CPU core is almost unchanged from a Power CPU core, therefore, excluding part that supports the "SPE" CPU core for signal processing, it seems to have been relatively easy to make the Cell support Linux.

There have already been several Linux distributions supporting the PS3. Terra Soft Solutions, Inc., for example, announced its "Yellow Dog Linux for PlayStation 3" based on the PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit in October 2006 ahead of its competitors. Meanwhile, a software kit to run Linux on the PS3 called "ADD-ON CD" has been distributed on the Internet. This kit is derived from part of the abovementioned PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit, which SCE originally delivered to distributors.

According to a Sony's engineer, who was engaged in this kit's development, the ADD-ON CD has been circulated in this way, since Sony did not specifically restrict redistribution of the kit when delivering it to distributors. Fixstars Corp., which develops software for the Cell, is providing systematic information on how to install Linux onto the PS3, in combination with its Cell programming tutorial.

PS3 Linux Demonstrated at CE Linux Meeting

In fact, the PS3 Linux Distributor's Starter Kit was developed by the same Sony engineers, who developed PS2 Linux. The engineer team was assigned to SCE when developing PS2 Linux, but has returned to Sony and works as a core member of the "CE Forum (CELF)," an organization that promotes Linux application for home appliances. On December 8, 2006, the CELF held its "CELF Tokyo Jamboree" regular meeting for developers in Tokyo, where we could see the demonstration of PS3 Linux.

Hiroyuki Machida, a core engineer belonging to the CELF participant team at Sony, delivered the demonstration. He mentioned current circumstances of Linux for the Cell and said that Linux kernel, GCC compiler, binutils and other tool chains for the Cell have already been integrated (merged) into the mainline kernel. Partly because IBM Corp. is more engaged in the development of Cell Linux, "Compared to before (when the CELF was formed, for example), merger to the mainline has become far easier," he said. The meeting room was filled with a lot of engineers, who came to see the demonstration of Linux operation on the PS3.

Machida demonstrated real-time ray tracing of 3D computer graphics using a test machine for PS3 game title developers. In the demonstration, a background image shot with a USB camera was traced through a rotating, transparent 3D object. Ray tracing processing was performed by six SPEs in parallel. The "Fedora Core Linux" distribution was used for the demonstration.

Video clip of ray tracing (about 1.9 MB)

According to Machida, a version 2.0 of the "Cell SDK" Cell software development platform distributed by IBM will be disclosed before long. He said the new version will be packed with an integrated GDB for SPE and PPE, a math library for SPE optimized for SIMD commands and so on.

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