On 7/21/2011 4:57 PM, Brad Alexander wrote:
This is sort of an odd question, but my desktop is a core2duo machine,
which means it is capable of 32 or 64 bit operation. The last time I
rebuilt the machine in 2007, there were still a number of deficiencies
in 64bit Linux. However, some time in the intervening time, my clock
started running fast, gaining, say, 15 minutes per hour, even though ntp
was running. I was advised to install the amd64 kernel. Thus I wound up
with a franken-machine with a 64bit kernel and 32bit userland. One of
the problems with this configuration is that apps which use the kernel
and userland versions get confused. For instance, I can install the
amd64 version of VirtualBox, but it will not start because it gives me
"wrong architecture"...
Well, now 64bit is as stable as 32bit, and I want to upgrade my machine
to 64bit userland. Is there a reliable way to upgrade existing packages?
Or is a complete rebuild ("nuke and pave") the best way? I know I could
probably wget every package on my system with a wget script and do a
"dpkg -i *" but that seems frought with danger. On the other hand, doing
a "nuke and pave" means I would be without the machine for the duration
of the build, plus the post-install configuration means I have to labor
to get things back to the way I like them.
Is there some middle ground?
thanks,
--b
To borrow your own phrase .... nuke and pave. Moving between
architectures is probably a very very bad idea :D (upgrade wise). While
not a guru, but a power user, this is something I would only attempt to
do in a VM and then, only to prove it can't be done. Sanely. But this is
just my $0.02 :D