I am very new to ARM, still understanding the terminologies. What is the difference b/w the Cortex family and the x-gene?

Thanks chris.I read through your write-up and it has definitely helped me clarify a lot of stuff. I will most likely be playing around with the  x-gene storm version of ARM64 SOC. I am looking at ways to optimize system s/w module.(which currently runs on x86) example could be a device driver to use some of the ARM64 performance features. I am yet to read the instruction set or manual. Thanks and will probably be asking many more questions.

Thanks chris.I read through your write-up and it has definitely helped me clarify a lot of stuff. I will most likely be playing around with the  x-gene storm version of ARM64 SOC. I am looking at ways to optimize system s/w module.(which currently runs on x86) example could be a device driver to use some of the ARM64 performance features. I am yet to read the instruction set or manual. Thanks and will probably be asking many more questions.

Ah yes ARM64, and thereon hangs a tale. Linus Torvalds had a rant, and quite rightly too I think, about Aarch64 which is the name ARM gave to the 64 bit instruction set and ARMv8-A its name for the architecture

LKML: Linus Torvalds: Re: [PATCH 00/36] AArch64 Linux kernel port

So you'll get ARCH=arm64 when talking about operating systems, aarch64 when talking about a compiler. and references to armv8 when distinguishing between armv7 and armv8 features like cryptography.