64 bit kernel in 32 bit system

Bill Davidsen davidsen at tmr.com
Mon Apr 6 20:03:25 UTC 2009


Konstantin Svist wrote:
> Bill Davidsen wrote:
>> I have read that there will be a feature to run a 64 bit kernel in a
>> 32 bit install of FC11. I'm curious about the number of things it
>> would take to build such a kernel for FC10 (other than building the
>> kernel, obviously).
>>
>> Any input from whoever is does that part for fc11?
>>
> 
And Konstantin, who read the wike the way I did, clarified:

>>From https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FeatureList
> Feature 'Supported Architectures
> <https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/ArchitectureSupport>' summary:
> "Change supported architectures and default installed kernels. The
> x86_64 kernel will be installed and used on compatible hardware, even
> when installing a 32-bit operating system. The PAE kernel will be used
> on 32-bit hardware, where appropriate"
> 
> Note that
> https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/ArchitectureSupport#Contingency_Plan
> says
> "For x86_64-on-32: do not ship x86_64 on 32-bit x86, only ship 32-bit
> kernels. This contingency plan has been enacted."
> 
> I think the idea here was to use the 64-bit kernel if installing the OS
> on 64-bit hardware, even if the OS software would be 32-bit. While
> 32-bit programs wouldn't be able to address large chunks of RAM, at
> least the kernel would - so running multiple instances of 32-bit
> programs could make use of the whole RAM.
> 
I really like this idea, since it provides most of the benefit of 64 bit 
operation without needing to have both the 32 and 64 bit libraries, for that 
vast number of systems which have >4GB memory but no programs which use anything 
like that much address space.

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot




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