Re: 32bit vs 64bit
On Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:57:26 -0400, 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?
I'd suggest doing a dpkg --get-selections > $HOME/somefile as well as a
dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}' > $HOME/someotherfile, backing up $HOME and
then reinstalling.
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