I have been using gentoo linux on my ultra-sparc U2 and U5 for two years, untill very recently I learnt the gentoo Linux is actually not 64-bit (it is 32-bit).
The U2 gets broken after I upgraded OBP (when I tries Solaris 10, it prompted OBP is 32-bit OBP, I must upgrade to 64bit, then I did it, then this U2 never boots up again). I have the remaining U5 box serving as print server, it simply run out of CPU power (a single A4 brochure printing uses up CPU and caused very slow printing). I think I can run the machine in 64-bit mode, recompile related packages in 64-bit executable to regain some speed. I tried to adjust C-flags: CFLAGS="-O2 -m64 -mcpu=ultrasparc -fomit-frame-pointer -pipe" (added -m64) then emerge a package, get this error: checking whether the C compiler (gcc -O2 -m64 -mcpu=ultrasparc -fomit-frame-pointer -pipe ) works... no I think perhaps it is not possible to compile anything in 64-bit executable when the kernel itself is running in 32-bit mode. Perhaps it is not possible to run 64-bit code on 32-bit kernal at all (if this sounds obvious, I admit I am a newbie). So what should I do? Should I try to compile a kernel with -m64 first? Then there comes another question: can 32-bit OBP loads 64bit kernel? I don't know if I have 64 OBP at all (and don't know how to tell it), my other U2 has had 32bit OBP, that's for sure. and even if I try to compile a 64-bit kernel, that may as well not possible because it seems gcc refuse to run with -m64 (the error message above). Besides, is 64-big executable much faster then 32-bit executable? P.S. I bet there must be an article somewhere on the Internet telling how to get 64-bit linux running on sparcs, only that I didn't find it. -- [email protected] mailing list
