11iv3, IA64, but /opt/perl links to 32bit version?

[Giles H Davidson]

I have a newish install (Sep 2008) of 11iv3 running on an rx2660, but while looking at some perl scripting, I noticed that /opt/perl is a link to /opt/perl32.

Why has the installer picked the 32 bit version as the default? I have an /opt/perl64 folder - should I change the link so everything picks up the 64bit version or is there a good reason why it has selected 32 bit?

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Giles:

This is the standard bitness chosen by default. Personally, I would just unlink and relink so that:

# /opt/perl -> /opt/perl_64

Given the installation structure, there is already a symlink '/usr/bin/perl' that points to '/opt/perl/bin/perl' so making the above linkage makes your default Perl a 64-bit one.

If you have added any modules to your Perl distribution since its installation, you will want to add them again after you do this, since they will be in the "32-bit" directories and not the "64-bit" ones.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Giles H Davidson]

It seems strange that it defaulted to the 32bit version given that the OS is 64bit, and both 32 and 64bit versions of Perl are shipped.

Is there any logic to it or is the 32bit version considered more stable?

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi (again) Giles:

> Is there any logic to it or is the 32bit version considered more stable?

This isn't a question of stability since the underlying source is the same.

I agree with you, that one might expect the 64-bit binaries would be installed as the preferred executable. I can't offer a good explanation for the default choice, though.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Giles H Davidson]

Thanks James.

Would be interested if anyone happens to know why the 32bit option is the default though...

[rick jones]

Well, perhaps it was to be consistent with the default compilation mode of the C/C++ compiler, which is to produce a 32-bit binary.