Wackojacko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Bill Wohler wrote: >> I installed the i386 etch distribution on my 64-bit system since the >> ia64 distribution had been burned on suspect media and wouldn't boot. >> > > Are you sure you want ia64. Most 64-bit systems these days use the > amd64 port (i.e AMD64 and intel emt64 processors). what have you got.
Intel. Some Xeon dual processor thing. >> Questions: >> >> What am I missing out on? > > Depends on what you are using it for? Compiling and running CPU-intensive programs. Lots of I/O too. >> What components are actually different between these two systems? The >> stock kernels, for example, don't seem to be different. > > Most binaries are recompiled specifically for 64 bit user space. You > can run a 64bit enhanced kernel on i386, look for the -k8 > linux-images. I see this: Package: linux-image-2.6-amd64-k8 (2.6.17+2) Linux 2.6 image on AMD64 K8 machines - transition package This package is for transition only. Why is it in transition? Does it really work on Intel? >> What tells your system which binaries to grab? The sources.list file >> doesn't indicate hardware type. > > The OS knows what its running:) > >> Can I transition my system from i386 binaries to ia64 binaries without >> starting from scratch? > > If you mean amd64, no its a completely different OS but you can > install in to a separate partition using debootstrap, or an install CD > and then dual boot. No, it's an Intel, and dual-booting is not useful. Are you saying I'd have to reinstall the OS to make use of the 64-bit stuff? -- Bill Wohler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.newt.com/wohler/ GnuPG ID:610BD9AD -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]