Thanks all for the replies.
From: "Black, Alain"
Subject: RE: [suse-amd64] SLES 8 install problems and Oracle Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 07:09:26 -0700 1) The link that you posted seems to go to the x86 version of SuSE and not the x86_64 version. I have not installed the x86 version on my dual opteron system, just the AMD64 version. I have an Oracle 9i database up and running on that platform along with the Application and Portal Servers.
You are right; upon closer examination of my disks, they all say x86, even though the box said a multitude of platforms, including x86_64. I was really confused by the kernel configuration choices that only gave me AMD64 or Generic x86_64; they lead me to believe that the configuration was for 64 bit kernels. That issue is moot, however, since I could not even get make dep to work.
2) According to the certify matrix on metalink for Oracle, SuSE SLES8 is certified for the 9i DB Server. http://metalink.oracle.com/metalink/plsql/cert_matrices1.addtl_matrix Log into metalink.oracle.com (requires a user id and password which you get with an Oracle support contract) and select the "Certify & Availability" button.
Yes, SLES 8 x86 is supposed to be a supported configuration. A tech support person was pretty adament about it not being supported under x86_64, even though it might work. We need to have a configuration that Oracle will support.
From: acsguy@wtp.net Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 08:33:48 -0600 Subject: Re: [suse-amd64] SLES 8 install problems and Oracle
You should just be able to install 32 bit libs on your amd64 machine allong with the 64bit libs.
Indeed I did. See above about my confusion.
From: mark.langsdorf@amd.com Subject: RE: [suse-amd64] SLES 8 install problems and Oracle Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 10:33:55 -0500
Oracle 9i should run in 32-bit mode on SLES8 for AMD64. I've had such an installation up and running on my test machine and it was a specific requirement of the SLES8 release.
Make sure you install Service Pack 3 and run the Oracle installer with `linux32 $INSTALLER` (linux32 informs the installer that your machine is x86 backwards compatible).
I need to check on this, as soon as I can get my NICs working.
If for some reason you want to install SLES8 for x86, purchase a copy of SLES8 for x86 and install normally from CD. Opterons are completely backwards compatible and nothing needs to be done to "force" the machine into 32-bit mode - the OS bootstrapper will put it into 32-bit mode automatically, and will only put it into 64-bit mode if the OS is aware of it.
That's what I got, and I am finally aware of it now that I looked more closely at my installation. I actually have a lot of Opteron systems running RH8 in 32 bit mode because that's a version that one of our other apps will support. eyc