Implementing emulation decisions in response to software evaluations or the like

1 . A method comprising:

obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence; and

causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The method of claim 1 in which obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

receiving a message about the software containing the instruction sequence.

4 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . The method of claim 1 in which obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

executing a portion of the software natively in a physical environment.

15 - 16 . (canceled)

17 . The method of claim 1 in which causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

executing the instruction sequence natively in the other environment.

18 . The method of claim 1 in which causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

implementing checkpointing in the other environment.

19 . (canceled)

20 . A system comprising:

circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence; and

circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

21 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for compiling at least the instruction sequence.

22 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for receiving a message about the software containing the instruction sequence.

23 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for evaluating the software containing the instruction sequence.

24 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for responding to a risk indicator relating at least to the software containing the instruction sequence.

25 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for hosting the software containing the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

26 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for deciding to host the instruction sequence in the other environment without first completing the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

27 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for causing the other environment to host the instruction sequence while the emulation environment hosts the instruction sequence.

28 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for deciding to host the software containing the instruction sequence in the other environment.

29 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for selecting the other environment at least partly based on the software containing the instruction sequence.

30 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for deciding to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment at least partly in response to the software apparently causing an error.

31 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for determining whether a fault from the software containing the instruction sequence apparently repeats.

32 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for executing the instruction sequence with watermark data in the emulation environment.

33 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for executing a portion of the software natively in a physical environment.

34 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

circuitry for implementing a virtual processor in the emulation environment.

35 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for deciding not to host the instruction sequence in the other environment at least partly in response to the software containing the instruction sequence causing an error.

36 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for executing the instruction sequence natively in the other environment.

37 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for implementing checkpointing in the other environment.

38 . The system of claim 20 in which the circuitry for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

circuitry for performing one or more iterative operations before causing the other environment to host the instruction sequence.

39 . A system comprising:

means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence; and

means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

40 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for compiling at least the instruction sequence.

41 . (canceled)

42 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for evaluating the software containing the instruction sequence.

43 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for responding to a risk indicator relating at least to the software containing the instruction sequence.

44 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for hosting the software containing the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

45 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for deciding to host the instruction sequence in the other environment without first completing the instruction sequence in the emulation environment.

46 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for causing the other environment to host the instruction sequence while the emulation environment hosts the instruction sequence.

47 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for deciding to host the software containing the instruction sequence in the other environment.

48 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for selecting the other environment at least partly based on the software containing the instruction sequence.

49 . (canceled)

50 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for determining whether a fault from the software containing the instruction sequence apparently repeats.

51 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for executing the instruction sequence with watermark data in the emulation environment.

52 . (canceled)

53 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence in an emulation environment at least in response to an evaluation of software containing the instruction sequence comprises:

means for implementing a virtual processor in the emulation environment.

54 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for deciding not to host the instruction sequence in the other environment at least partly in response to the software containing the instruction sequence causing an error.

55 - 56 . (canceled)

57 . The system of claim 39 in which the means for causing another environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence in the emulation environment comprises:

means for performing one or more iterative operations before causing the other environment to host the instruction sequence.

58 . A method comprising:

obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence natively in a physical environment in response to an operational history of software apparently containing the instruction sequence; and

signaling a decision whether to cause an emulation environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence natively in the physical environment.

59 - 75 . (canceled)

76 . A system comprising:

means for obtaining a decision whether to host an instruction sequence natively in a physical environment in response to an operational history of software apparently containing the instruction sequence; and

means for signaling a decision whether to cause an emulation environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence natively in the physical environment.

77 - 81 . (canceled)

82 . The system of claim 76 in which the means for signaling a decision whether to cause an emulation environment to host the instruction sequence in response to the decision whether to host the instruction sequence natively in the physical environment comprises:

means for deciding to cause the emulation environment to host the instruction sequence without first hosting the instruction sequence natively in the physical environment.

83 - 84 . (canceled)