Upgrading i686 vs. x86_64. Just checking !

[Steve Underwood]

On 02/28/2010 12:31 AM, William Case wrote:
> Hi;
>
> I am using a *fc12.x86_64 machine.  I just now upgraded several packages
> with yum (yumex) and noticed several i686 packages being upgraded as
> well.  Is this normal?  Are some packages I have using i686 when I
> should have only *.86_64 on my machine?  Should I remove ALL i686
> packages or just leave them alone?  I am not overly concerned; just
> wondering.
>
>    
If you list all the 386 and 686 RPMs installed on your machine, you'll 
find they are generally libraries. The standard install on x86_64 puts 
both the x86_64 and i386/i686 versions of most libraries on the machine, 
to maximise compatibility with any 32 bit executables you may install 
for yourself. I don't know of anything in the Fedora distribution which 
is a 32 bit build for any other reason.

Steve