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Dealing with Multiple Machine

Architectures (84273)
Last Updated: 6/25/2021 Categories: Informational Total Views: 21252
Language: English
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Details
Machine architecture describes the broad design of a computer how pieces of hardware
are arranged into functional units to meet specific goals and requirements. One aspect of
machine architecture is the choice of an instruction set, the set of commands that a
program may use to implement its goals and requirements.

In general, the instruction set of one machine architecture is not compatible with the
instruction set of different machine architectures - programs written for one type of
computer will not, in general, be able to be execute on a computer of a differing machine
architecture.

Examples of instruction set incompatible processors are X86_64, Arm, and PowerPC.
Apple processors "Apple silicon (Mx and Axx)", are Arm machine architecture.

The operation system (the software that manages computer hardware and provides
services for programs) that one uses cannot be used to detemine the machine architecture
it runs on. For instance, Windows 10 may be running on X86_64, or Arm; Linux may be
running on X86_64 or Arm; macOS may be running on X86_64 or Apple silicon.

Attempting to run an operating system written for a particular machine architecture on a

machine of a differing machine architcecture will result in errors. One cannot run Windows
10 for X86_64 on an Arm machine or macOS for X86_64 on Apple silicon.

Using virtual machines does not remove the operating system dependency on a machine
architecture. A virtual machine that contains an X86_64 version of Linux will not work on a
Arm or Apple silicon Macintosh; an Apple silicon version of macOS will not work on an
X86_64 Mac.

If one attempts to run a virtual machine that does not contain an operating system
compatible with the machine architecture on the machine it is to run on, an error
explaining this will be displayed.

Solution
Creating a virtual machine requires that the guest operating system be compatible with the
machine architecture of the host running it.
For instance, using VMware Fusion, an Arm Linux guest must be created and run on an
Apple silicon Macintosh, not an X86_64 Macintosh.

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