Arch Linux

ivanborodin

Member

Registered: 2013-08-30

Posts: 58

[solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

My laptop has the following processor:

- Intel Core 2 duo mobile @ 2.00 GHz 4 MB cache (T7200 aka Merom-2M)

from cat /proc/cpuinfo:

- family is 6
- model is 15
- stepping is 6

so 6/15/6 in hex is 0x06F6 so the processor is actually SSPEC=SL9SL right ?

from: http://ark.intel.com/products/27255/Int … 67-MHz-FSB
from: http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/In … 0414M.html
from: http://cdn.cpu-world.com/Images/uploade … 005742.gif
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merom_%28microprocessor%29

wikipedia: Merom is the first Intel mobile processor to feature Intel 64 architecture.
wikipedia: instruction set: x86_64
wikipedia: micro-architecture: core

if all the above is correct ... why my arch linux installation is i686 then ?

uname -a

blah blah blah ... i686 ...

what I am missing ?

Last edited by ivanborodin (2014-05-29 16:24:34)

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 11,591

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

Your installation is i686 because that's what you chose to install.

nomorewindows

Member

Registered: 2010-04-03

Posts: 3,366

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

Do a lscpu and it will tell you whether it does 32-bit and 64-bit.

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Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 11,591

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

Do a lscpu and it will tell you whether it does 32-bit and 64-bit.

No need, his research is correct. The Core2 duo is a 64 bit processor.

nomorewindows

Member

Registered: 2010-04-03

Posts: 3,366

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

Do a lscpu and it will tell you whether it does 32-bit and 64-bit.

No need, his research is correct. The Core2 duo is a 64 bit processor.

Oh well, FFR.  What he probably needs now is https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mi … installing.

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I may have to CONSOLE you about your usage of ridiculously easy graphical interfaces...
Look ma, no mouse.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,802

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

In other words, On an 64 bit processor, you can install either i686 or x86_64.
On a 32 bit processor, you can only install i686.

As Scimmia points out, apparently, you installed the 32 bit version

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ivanborodin

Member

Registered: 2013-08-30

Posts: 58

Re: [solved] Intel Core 2 duo mobile should be i686 or x86_64 ?

Thank you all for your fast replies

I discovered this "issue" while reading that they were considering dropping i686 support for arch linux and I was starting to wonder if I should get a new laptop: good news for me is that my laptop will have some more time to go then, bad news is that when installing arch linux from the live image I messed things a bit: it is now obvious that I choose the wrong option so I have to reinstall.

Thanks for the link to switch the architecture from within a running system: while interesting (and a little bit unproven/untested as I see) I think reinstalling from scratch (while time-consuming) will solidify my knowledge or arch —as someone pointed out in an older post: to mess things up is to learn something new.