[Qemu-discuss] Newbie: Running Solaris8/SPARC binaries / shared objects on x86-Linux Machines

[Hartmut Rombach]

Hi there,
I am in charge of some hardware built back in the 1980th, which is controlled 
by a SPARC computer under Solaris 8. Unfortunately this hardware has to survive 
several more years. I want to replace the SPARC by a state-of-the art Linux / 
x86 computer, but:
I don't have the source code for that old hardware, only some binaries and 
shared object libs. This is, why I came across QEMU (which is completely new to 
me).

Question 1: As far as I understand the documentation, I have to install Solaris 
8 to some QEMU disk, install the software for my old hardware, and this should 
end up with a working system, right?

Question 2: It would be much easier for me, to stay on Linux, and run only the 
binaries for my hardware under QEMU control. Is this ok as well?

Question 3: For several programs, I have "most of" the source code, only the source of 
the low-level routines which talk to the hardware, is not available. I have to link in some vendor 
supplied shared object for this. Is it possible to set up some "mixed platform binary" 
e.g. use a binary for x86, and link in some shared objects build for SPARC ?

Thanks a lot for your advice,
Hartmut