Metztli Information Technology Blog Bits

Note: This list collection of ia32-lib packages was successfully tested on x64 Fedora 10. I did not test them on x64 Fedora 11 nor x64 Fedora 12. Recently, however, I realized that the packages listed here do not even exist in x64 Fedora 13. Accordingly, I updated the list of packages in this list to reflect modifications done in the x64 Fedora 13 distribution. In order to minimize confusion, I deal with the issue and make available the relevant updated list in another blog entry: Hosting Providers Embrace of The Cloud Enabled by Open Source Virtualization Technologies. 08/10/2010

In an past how-to blog entry I described an procedure to install the 32-bit IBM Lotus Symphony office productivity suite under an 64-bit GNU/Linux Fedora 9 distribution. I mentioned that I had used the GNU/Linux 64-bit Debian ia32-libs suite package as a guide to figure out which packages would provide equivalent functionality in 64-bit Fedora 9 distribution. Notwithstanding, I was forced to realize that metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text, the list of packages that I made available for others as an aid to solve an similar issue as my own, was version specific. This short post is an update on metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text so as to make the list of packages more generically applicable to Fedora 9, Fedora 10, and Fedora 10+.

An kind comment by an user that used the pseudonym "Nobody" actually drew my attention to the need for the packages listed in metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text not to be version specific. At the time of Nobody's comment, well, I thought that making the packages listed in metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text version agnostic would be achieved simply by editing the file with vim, Elvis, or any other text editor. As an way of illustration, I downloaded metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text and opened it with my vim text editor:

In effect, once metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text had been opened for editing in the vim text editor, pressing the Esc key at our keyboard and following that with the colon character ":", the percent character "%", and the letter "s" for substitution, we achieve 77 substitutions at once. Below is an snapshot of the end of metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text file showing the substitutions in that relevant section:

Nevertheless, there are a few files that require special attention --if they are to support 32-bit applications in an distribution release agnostic GNU/Linux 64-bit Fedora. Those are listed below, first as the file was listed in the older metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text and subsequently as listed in metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text:

• compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3-63.i386 to compat-libstdc++-33.i386
• libaio-0.3.106-4.2.i386 to libaio.i386
• jack-audio-connection-kit-0.109.2-1.fc9.1.i386 to jack-audio-connection-kit.i386
• java-1.6.0-openjdk-1.6.0.0-0.15.b09.fc9.i386 to java-1.6.0-openjdk.i386
• compat-expat1-1.95.8-4.i386 to compat-expat1.i386
• libgcrypt-1.4.0-3.i386 to libgcrypt.i386

And I had a duplicate of jack-audio-connection-kit-0.109.2-1.fc9.1.i386 ; hence metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text should have contained a list of 80 74 packages (a big thanks to "an observer" 06-09-2009), instead of the 81 that I asserted in the post IBM Lotus Symphony 1 on 64-bit GNU/Linux Fedora 9 Sulphur. referenced initially.

Well, after detailing the procedure that I followed to generalize the prior 64-bit Fedora 9 specific package support for 32-bit applications listed in metztli-F9-ia32-libs.text, I now make available metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text. This file will list version agnostic 32-bit packages that should work under 64-bit Fedora 9, Fedora 10 and possibly higher, since the packages providing the equivalent of Debian ia32-libs package likely are Fedora distribution release independent.

As referenced in the alluded past how-to blog entry, after the user downloads metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text to his 64-bit Fedora distribution, s/he should install the listed packages by entering suggested commands at her 64-bit GNU/Linux Fedora shell terminal.

As an specific illustration, we assume that the user has become the root or super user in her 64-bit GNU/Linux Fedora 9, Fedora 10, or later; we further assume that the file metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text was downloaded to her current file system location in her shell. Then the super user or root should install the support for 32-bit applications under her 64-bit Fedora by typing below commands:

for i in $(< metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text); do yum -y install $i; done

DISCLAIMER although due diligence has been applied, the metztli-Fedora_agnostic-ia32-libs.text resource is made available for testing/evaluation purposes on an AS IS basis. Those files listed in the resource only reflect my own modifications on my limited testing --as expounded above and elswhere-- and the potential user that manipulates any or all of those (files) assumes all risks.

Please do not hold me or Metztli Information Technology responsible if the information provided here does not achieve the desired result. The information is provided AS IS and with the hope that it may be useful to the Internet community --especially AMD 64-bit GNU/Linux Fedora 9, Fedora 10 and higher distribution release, users.

Notwithstanding, There is no implicit or explicit guarantee that the information presented here is accurate --even though due diligence was exercised during the procedure. Accordingly, if an user(s) decide to implement the procedure or shell commands described here she, he, or them, do so at her, his, or their own risk. You have been forewarned.