Maura Edeweiss Monville wrote:
Installing the CERN library on a 64-bit machine is a nightmare that I'm suggested to give up. In the following I'm copying my supervisor's suggestion based on a previous experience they had at trying to install MARS (A Mongte Carlo code that uses the CERLIB) on SuSE.
But it appears you mistakenly attribute your MARS problem with SuSE (thus went to RH) instead of a 32 bit versus 64 bit problem. Simply put, 32 bit programs WILL work on 64 bit IF all their prerequisites are met (not anything new, just a slightly new twist). Since they link to 32 bit libraries, they need those libraries available in a 64 bit machine. The 64 bit libs install to their lib64 directories, whereas 32 bit to theirs (lib). It isn't that it is hard, it is just new. To say it was easy on a 32 bit RH would only be a valid comparison if it was easier than on a 32 bit SuSE. SuSE has provided many -32bit versions of many packages that coexist fine with the 64 bit versions. Building those packages obviously take some work (more than the normal) to ensure there aren't duplicate files/filenames. To need to run a lot of 32 bit stuff on a 64 bit SuSE (or any other flavor) will be much more work than just running a 32 bit OS. As has been shared, -m32 will compile 32 bit on a 64 bit computer, and linux32 will simulate an x86 machine for those programs that need more. That is only part of the problem as you have seemingly found (i.e. duplicate file names and files, such as docs). Once though these have been overcome and an rpm built, it is simple to get 32 bit programs working in x86_64 (i.e rpm -ivh xxxx.rpm). HTH to put things in a proper perspective. -- Joe Morris Registered Linux user 231871