Editing Itanium (section)

== Software support ==

=== Unix ===
* [[HP-UX]] 11 (supported until 2025)

=== BSD ===
* [[NetBSD]] (a tier II port<ref>{{Cite web|title=Platforms Supported by NetBSD|url=https://www.netbsd.org/ports/|access-date=2021-03-02|website=www.netbsd.org|archive-date=2021-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227091416/http://www.netbsd.org/ports/|url-status=live}}</ref> that "is a work-in-progress effort to port NetBSD to the Itanium family of processors. Currently no formal release is available."<ref>{{Cite web|title=NetBSD/ia64|url=http://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/ia64/|access-date=2021-03-02|website=wiki.netbsd.org|archive-date=2018-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427122809/http://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/ia64/|url-status=live}}</ref>)
*[[FreeBSD]] (unsupported since 31 October 2018)

=== Linux ===
The Trillian Project was an effort by an industry consortium to port the [[Linux]] kernel to the Itanium processor. The project started in May 1999 with the goal of releasing the distribution in time for the initial release of Itanium, then scheduled for early 2000.<ref name="Sabbagh">{{cite web|last=Sabbagh|first=Dan|date=3 Feb 2000|title=Trillian releases Linux code for Itanium|url=http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2111194/trillian-releases-linux-code-itanium|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930200218/http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2111194/trillian-releases-linux-code-itanium|archive-date=30 September 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=2007-03-20|work=vnunet.com}}</ref> By the end of 1999, the project included [[Caldera Systems]], [[CERN]], [[Cygnus Solutions]], [[Hewlett-Packard]], [[IBM]], [[Intel]], [[Red Hat]], [[Silicon Graphics|SGI]], [[SUSE S.A.|SuSE]], [[TurboLinux]] and [[VA Linux Systems]].<ref>{{cite press release|date=December 20, 1999|title=Leading Linux Distributors Join the Trillian Project|url=https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/press-trillian|access-date=2007-03-20|website=Red Hat}}</ref> The project released the resulting code in February 2000.<ref name="Sabbagh" /> The code then became part of the [[mainline Linux kernel]] more than a year before the release of the first Itanium processor. The Trillian project was able to do this for two reasons:

* the [[Free software|free]] and [[Open source software|open source]] [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]] compiler had already been enhanced to support the Itanium architecture.
* a free and open source simulator had been developed to simulate an Itanium processor on an existing computer.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.irisa.fr/caps/projects/ArchiCompil/iato/| title = IATO simulation environment}}</ref>

After the successful completion of Project Trillian, the resulting Linux kernel was used by all of the manufacturers of Itanium systems ([[Hewlett-Packard|HP]], [[IBM]], [[Dell]], [[Silicon Graphics|SGI]], [[Fujitsu]], [[Unisys]], [[Hitachi]], and [[Groupe Bull]]). With the notable exception of HP, Linux is either the primary OS or the only OS the manufacturer supports for Itanium. Ongoing free and open source software support for Linux on Itanium subsequently coalesced at [[Gelato Federation|Gelato]].

==== Distribution support ====
In 2005, Fedora Linux started adding support for Itanium<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shankland|first=Stephen|title=Fedora for Itanium taking baby steps|url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/fedora-for-itanium-taking-baby-steps/|access-date=2023-07-04|website=CNET|date=22 March 2005 |language=en}}</ref> and Novell added support for SUSE Linux.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Connor|first=Deni|date=2005-01-06|title=Novell releases SuSE Linux for HP Itanium servers|url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/2328219/novell-releases-suse-linux-for-hp-itanium-servers.html|access-date=2021-10-14|website=Network World|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029172431/https://www.networkworld.com/article/2328219/novell-releases-suse-linux-for-hp-itanium-servers.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, [[CentOS]] added support for Itanium in a new release.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CentOS 5 Linux released|url=https://www.itpro.co.uk/110119/centos-5-linux-released|access-date=2021-10-14|website=IT PRO|date=14 April 2007 |language=en|archive-date=2021-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029170900/https://www.itpro.co.uk/110119/centos-5-linux-released|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[Debian]] (official support was dropped in Debian 8; unofficial support available through Debian Ports until June 2024<ref>{{cite web|title=Debian Ports|url=https://www.ports.debian.org|access-date=2024-10-27}}</ref>)
* EPIC Slack - an unofficial port of [[Slackware]] - specifically supports [[IA-64]] (and hence Itanium) since its release in May 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slackware for IA-64 is here! Get E P I C !|url=http://epic-slack.org/#!index.md#2024-05-15|date=2024-05-15|access-date=2025-01-26}}</ref>
* [[Gentoo Linux]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Project:IA-64|url=https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:IA-64|quote=The Gentoo/IA-64 Project works to keep Gentoo the most up to date and fastest IA-64 distribution available. <!--"The IA-64 Development Project is devoted to keeping Gentoo in good shape on the IA-64 architecture."-->|access-date=2015-07-12|archive-date=2018-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235508/https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:IA-64|url-status=live}}</ref> (releases before August 2024)<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of Gentoo Council meeting 2024-07-21|url=https://projects.gentoo.org/council/meeting-logs/20240721-summary.txt|quote=The Council members agreed on deprecated ia64 arch|access-date=2024-08-15}}</ref> 
* [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux]] (unsupported since RHEL 6, had support in RHEL 5 until 2017, which supported other platforms until November 30, 2020)
* [[SUSE Linux Enterprise Server|SUSE Linux]] 11 (supported until 2019, for other platforms SUSE 11 was supported until 2022).
* [[T2 SDE]] supports Itanium in its [[IA-64]] port.<ref>{{cite web|title=T2 24.12 "Sky's the Limit!"|url=https://t2sde.org/#news-2024-12-19|quote=Support and stability was improved for SPARC64, Intel Itanium IA-64, Sony PS3, [...]|date=2024-12-19|access-date=2025-01-26}}</ref>

==== Deprecation ====

In 2009, Red Hat dropped Itanium support in Enterprise Linux 6.<ref name="red-hat-to-drop-itanium">{{Cite web|last=Ricknäs|first=Mikael|date=2009-12-21|title=Red Hat to drop Itanium support in Enterprise Linux 6|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2522241/red-hat-to-drop-itanium-support-in-enterprise-linux-6.html|access-date=2021-10-14|website=[[Computerworld]]|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028172143/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2522241/red-hat-to-drop-itanium-support-in-enterprise-linux-6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ubuntu 10.10 dropped support for Itanium.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Jack|title=SPARC and Itanium support discontinued in Ubuntu 10.10|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/sparc-and-itanium-support-discontinued-in-ubuntu-10-10/|access-date=2021-10-14|website=ZDNet|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029180056/https://www.zdnet.com/article/sparc-and-itanium-support-discontinued-in-ubuntu-10-10/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, Linus Torvalds marked the Itanium code as orphaned. Torvalds said:

"HPE no longer accepts orders for new Itanium hardware, and Intel stopped accepting orders a year ago. While intel is still officially shipping chips until July 29, 2021, it's unlikely that any such orders actually exist. [[He's dead, Jim|It's dead, Jim]]."<ref>{{Cite news|first=Tim|last=Anderson|title='It's dead, Jim': Torvalds marks Intel Itanium processors as orphaned in Linux kernel|url=https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/01/linux_pulls_itanium_support/|access-date=2021-10-14|work=[[The Register]]|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029174912/https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/01/linux_pulls_itanium_support/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git - Linux kernel source tree|url=https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=228345bf98cd78f91d007478a51f9a471489e44a|access-date=2021-10-14|website=[[kernel.org]]|archive-date=2021-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103183816/https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=228345bf98cd78f91d007478a51f9a471489e44a|url-status=live}}</ref>

Support for Itanium was removed in Linux 6.7<ref>{{Cite web |title=kernel/git/next/linux-next.git - The linux-next integration testing tree |url=https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git/commit/?id=cf8e8658100d4eae80ce9b21f7a81cb024dd5057 |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=git.kernel.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Linux 6.7 Set To Drop Support For Itanium IA-64 |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.7-To-Drop-Itanium-IA-64 |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}}</ref> and is since then maintained [[wiktionary:out-of-tree|out-of-tree]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/linux-ia64/ |title=linux-ia64 |website=GitHub |quote=Maintenance and development of the Linux operating system for Intel Itanium architecture (IA-64) |access-date=October 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://epic-linux.org/ |title=EPIC Linux |access-date=October 1, 2024}}</ref>

=== Microsoft Windows ===
* [[Windows XP 64-Bit Edition]] (unsupported since June 30, 2005)
* [[Windows Server 2003]] (unsupported since July 14, 2015)
* [[Windows Server 2008]] (unsupported since January 14, 2020, paid Extended Security Updates not available on Itanium)
* [[Windows Server 2008 R2]] (unsupported since January 14, 2020, paid Extended Security Updates not available on Itanium; last Windows version to support Itanium processors)

=== OpenVMS ===

{{main|OpenVMS#Port to Intel Itanium}}

In 2001, [[Compaq]] announced that OpenVMS would be ported to the Itanium architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvmstimes/openvmstimes.pdf|title=Compaq OpenVMS Times|date=January 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060302213751/http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvmstimes/openvmstimes.pdf|archive-date=March 2, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> This led to the creation of the V8.x releases of OpenVMS, which support both Itanium-based [[HPE Integrity Servers]] and [[DEC Alpha]] hardware.<ref name="ia64-port">{{cite journal|url=http://www.decus.de/events/alphamigration/vortraege/porting_openvms_to_integrity.pdf|title=Porting OpenVMS to HP Integrity Servers|author=Clair Grant|journal=OpenVMS Technical Journal|volume=6|date=June 2005|access-date=2021-11-22|archive-date=2021-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122133713/http://www.decus.de/events/alphamigration/vortraege/porting_openvms_to_integrity.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the Itanium porting effort began, ownership of OpenVMS transferred from Compaq to HP in 2001, and then to VMS Software Inc. (VSI) in 2014.<ref name=VSI.CW2014>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Computerworld]]|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2490683/operating-systems-hp-gives-openvms-new-life.html|title=HP gives OpenVMS new life|date=July 31, 2014|author=Patrick Thibodeau|access-date=2021-10-21|archive-date=2021-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030234001/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2490683/operating-systems-hp-gives-openvms-new-life.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Noteworthy releases include:

* V8.0 (2003) - First pre-production release of OpenVMS on Itanium available outside HP.<ref name="ia64-port" />
* V8.2 (2005) - First production-grade release of OpenVMS on Itanium.<ref name="ia64-port" />
* V8.4 (2010) - Final release of OpenVMS supported by HP. Support ended on December 31, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00083646en_us|title=OpenVMS Roadmap|date=July 2019|publisher=HPE|access-date=2021-11-22|archive-date=2021-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122133712/https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00083646en_us|url-status=live}}</ref>
* V8.4-2L3 (2021) - Final release of OpenVMS on Itanium supported by VSI. Support ends on December 31, 2035.<ref name="vsi-roadmap">{{cite web|url=https://vmssoftware.com/about/roadmap/|title=OpenVMS – A guide to the strategy and roadmap|website=VSI|access-date=2025-05-13}}</ref>

Support for Itanium has been dropped in the V9.x releases of OpenVMS, which run on x86-64 only.<ref name="vsi-roadmap" />

=== NonStop OS ===

[[NonStop OS]] was ported from [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]]-based hardware to Itanium in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hpe.com/psnow/doc/4AA0-6149ENW|title=HPE NonStop OS|date=April 2018|publisher=HPE|access-date=2021-11-22|archive-date=2021-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122135935/https://www.hpe.com/psnow/doc/4AA0-6149ENW|url-status=live}}</ref> NonStop OS was later ported to x86-64 in 2015. Sales of Itanium-based NonStop hardware ended in 2020, with support ending in 2025.<ref name="hpe-brochure">{{cite web|url=https://assets.ext.hpe.com/is/content/hpedam/documents/4aa4-2000-2999/4aa4-2988/4aa4-2988enw.pdf|title=HPE NonStop family of systems|publisher=HPE|date=May 2021|access-date=2021-11-22|archive-date=2022-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121201745/https://assets.ext.hpe.com/is/content/hpedam/documents/4aa4-2000-2999/4aa4-2988/4aa4-2988enw.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://connect2nonstop.com/2371-2/|title=News from HPE's NonStop Enterprise Division|author=Prashanth Kamath U|date=2019-07-30|access-date=2021-11-22|website=The Connection|archive-date=2021-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122140545/https://connect2nonstop.com/2371-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Compiler ===

[[GNU Compiler Collection]] deprecated support for IA-64 in GCC 10, after Intel announced the planned phase-out of this ISA.<ref>{{cite web |title=Intel Itanium IA-64 Support To Be Deprecated By GCC 10, Planned Removal In GCC 11 |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-IA-64-GCC-Deprecation |website=Phoronix |access-date=2020-07-09 |archive-date=2020-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711001829/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-IA-64-GCC-Deprecation |url-status=live }}</ref> [[LLVM]] (Clang) dropped Itanium support in version 2.6.<ref>{{Cite web|date=Jul 24, 2009|title=Remove the IA-64 backend. · llvm/llvm-project@1715115 · GitHub|url=https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/commit/17151155ed8f83dcbb5db69bca2839ac2da19e0e|website=GitHub}}</ref>

=== Virtualization and emulation ===
HP sells a [[OS-level virtualization|virtualization]] technology for Itanium called [[HP Integrity Virtual Machines|Integrity Virtual Machines]].

[[Emulator|Emulation]] is a technique that allows a computer to execute binary code that was compiled for a different type of computer. Before IBM's acquisition of [[QuickTransit]] in 2009, application binary software for [[IRIX]]/[[MIPS architecture|MIPS]] and [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]]/[[SPARC]] could run via type of emulation called "dynamic binary translation" on Linux/Itanium. Similarly, HP implemented a method to execute PA-RISC/HP-UX on the Itanium/HP-UX via emulation, to simplify migration of its PA-RISC customers to the radically different Itanium instruction set. Itanium processors can also run the mainframe environment [[General Comprehensive Operating System|GCOS]] from [[Groupe Bull]] and several [[x86]] operating systems via [[instruction set simulator]]s.