New 'as' port

[John Moran <jmoran-binutils at cyconix dot com>]

Hi -

I'd like to do an 'as' port for a new processor, and would appreciate a 
couple of pointers.

First, the processor already has an inline assembler, that'll assemble 
raw/post-processed opcodes. Before I start digging around in the 
sources, can anyone tell me if there are any other ports that also do 
this? Or am I on my own? Ideally, I'd like to bypass as much low-level 
stuff as possible and just send a string from gas to the inline 
assembler, getting back an opcode.

Second, the existing assembler is supplied as part of a proprietary 
shared library, with a few external entries (set the current ISA, 
assemble, return the instruction size, and so on). Can anyone tell me 
what implications this has for the licence of the completed port? Does 
the GPL require that any parts of the existing library should also be 
GPL'ed, or is it only the new code that I write for the port that is 
affected?

Many thanks -

John