diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index af7dc14d1..cc6d84887 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -11,14 +11,11 @@ before_install:
         - git submodule update --init hermit/lwip hermit/usr/gcc hermit/usr/pte hermit/usr/libomp
 script:
         - ./configure
-        - wget https://www.lankes.org/deploy/bzImage
-        - mkdir -p linux/arch/x86/boot/
-        - mv bzImage linux/arch/x86/boot/
         - wget https://www.lankes.org/deploy/newlib.tar.gz
         - tar xzf newlib.tar.gz
         - mv tmp hermit/usr/
         - mv x86 hermit/usr/
-        - make T=1
+        - make T=1 travis
 env:
         global:
                 - TOPDIR=`pwd`/../..
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 9554547d6..44b54a458 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ default: linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage
 	make PATH=$(PATH):$(CROSSDIR) -C hermit
 	make PATH=$(PATH):$(CROSSDIR) -C hermit/tools proxy
 
+travis:
+	make PATH=$(PATH):$(CROSSDIR) -C hermit
+	make PATH=$(PATH):$(CROSSDIR) -C hermit/tools proxy
+
 all: default
 
 linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3fc4f227b..227ca8bf3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Following software packets are required to build HermitCore on a Linux system:
 
 On Ubuntu the packets could be installed with following command:
 ```
-  sudo apt-get install nasm texinfo libmpfr-dev libmpc-dev libgmp-dev libisl-dev flex bison
+  sudo apt-get install qemu-system-x86 nasm texinfo libmpfr-dev libmpc-dev libgmp-dev libisl-dev flex bison
 ```
 
 ## Building and testing HermitCore within a virtual machine
@@ -83,6 +83,6 @@ The following example starts the stream benchmark in a virtual machine, which ha
 HERMIT_ISLE=qemu HERMIT_CPUS=4 HERMIT_MEM=6G hermit/usr/benchmarks/stream
 ```
 
-## Tips and tricks
+## Tips
 
 1. By setting the environment variable `HERMIT_VERBOSE` to `1`, the proxy prints at termination the kernel log messages on the screen.
diff --git a/hermit/arch/x86/kernel/entry.asm b/hermit/arch/x86/kernel/entry.asm
index 71af56764..2173b571f 100644
--- a/hermit/arch/x86/kernel/entry.asm
+++ b/hermit/arch/x86/kernel/entry.asm
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ L1:
     jmp $
 
 %if MAX_CORES > 1
+ALIGN 64
 Lsmp_main:
     xor rax, rax
     mov eax, DWORD [current_boot_id]
@@ -252,7 +253,7 @@ Lsmp_main:
     jmp $
 %endif
 
-ALIGN 4
+ALIGN 64
 global gdt_flush
 extern gp
 
@@ -274,7 +275,7 @@ gdt_flush:
 ; NASM macro which pushs also an pseudo error code
 %macro isrstub_pseudo_error 1
     global isr%1
-    align 16
+    align 64
     isr%1:
         push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
         push byte %1
@@ -286,7 +287,7 @@ gdt_flush:
 ; on the stack.
 %macro isrstub 1
     global isr%1
-    align 16
+    align 64
     isr%1:
         push byte %1
         jmp common_stub
@@ -339,7 +340,7 @@ isrstub_pseudo_error 9
 ; NASM macro for asynchronous interrupts (no exceptions)
 %macro irqstub 1
     global irq%1
-    align 16
+    align 64
     irq%1:
         push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
         push byte 32+%1
@@ -361,49 +362,49 @@ isrstub_pseudo_error 9
 %endrep
 
 global apic_timer
-align 16
+align 64
 apic_timer:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 123
     jmp common_stub
 
 global apic_lint0
-align 16
+align 64
 apic_lint0:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 124
     jmp common_stub
 
 global apic_lint1
-align 16
+align 64
 apic_lint1:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 125
     jmp common_stub
 
 global apic_error
-align 16
+align 64
 apic_error:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 126
     jmp common_stub
 
 global apic_svr
-align 16
+align 64
 apic_svr:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 127
     jmp common_stub
 
 global wakeup
-align 16
+align 64
 wakeup:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 121
     jmp common_stub
 
 global mmnif_irq
-align 16
+align 64
 mmnif_irq:
     push byte 0 ; pseudo error code
     push byte 122
@@ -418,7 +419,7 @@ extern kernel_stack
 ; libos => no syscall interface required
 %if 0
 global isrsyscall
-align 16
+align 64
 ; used to realize system calls
 isrsyscall:
     ; IF flag is already cleared
@@ -493,7 +494,7 @@ isrsyscall:
 %endif
 
 global switch_context
-align 16
+align 64
 switch_context:
     ; by entering a function the DF flag has to be cleared => see ABI
     cld
@@ -549,11 +550,11 @@ Lgo1:
 
     jmp common_switch
 
-align 4
+align 64
 rollback:
     ret
 
-align 4
+align 64
 common_stub:
     push rax
     push rcx
@@ -668,6 +669,7 @@ Lgo3:
     iretq
 
 global is_single_kernel
+align 64
 is_single_kernel:
     mov eax, DWORD [single_kernel]
     ret