METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING EXECUTABLE COMPUTER PROGRAMS IN A HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING ENVIROMENT

A method and apparatus for converting a source executable code generated for execution on a source processor into a target executable code for execution on a target processor is provided. Typically, the following sequence of steps are performed on a computer for each instruction in the source executable code. Initially, a source instruction is selected from the source executable code. This source instruction typically has an opcode and one or more corresponding parameters used by the opcode during execution. Next, the source instruction opcode is used to isolate one or more corresponding parameters within the source instruction. After this is completed, one or more target instructions associated with the target processor are located which correspond to the source instruction. Then, a target instruction is generated by filling the one or more parameters isolated from the source instruction into the corresponding parameter locations in the one or more target instructions.