Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Base => TCB Q&A Forum => Topic started by: nixHobbyist on October 23, 2025, 02:52:36 PM

Title: 32bit TCL, 64bit packages?
Post by: nixHobbyist on October 23, 2025, 02:52:36 PM

In 32bit TCL repo, I have found many 64bit packages.  What is a purpose of 64bit packages namely "...tinycore64.tcz"?  Is it like in Puppy linux 64bit kernel (some drivers) and 32 Operating system???
http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/tcz/ (http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/tcz/)

Title: Re: 32bit TCL, 64bit packages?
Post by: linic on October 23, 2025, 05:01:05 PM

I don't think they would work in x86. For example,
http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/tcz/alsa-modules-6.12.11-tinycore64.tcz.info
http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86_64/tcz/alsa-modules-6.12.11-tinycore64.tcz.info
Have the same info. Judging by the tinycore64, this is the LOCALVERSION http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86_64/release/src/kernel/config-6.12.11-tinycore64

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CONFIG_LOCALVERSION="-tinycore64The way the LOCALVERSION works, is that it is used to replace the KERNEL placeholder in .dep files. For example http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/tcz/alsa.tcz.dep has

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alsa-modules-KERNEL.tcz
libasound.tcz
ncursesw.tcz
so if you would

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tce-load -wi alsa.tczon x86, it would load only the http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/tcz/alsa-modules-6.12.11-tinycore64.tcz.info because in the x86 kernel
http://tinycorelinux.net/16.x/x86/release/src/kernel/config-6.12.11-tinycore
config the LOCALVERSION is

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CONFIG_LOCALVERSION="-tinycore"
You could download them still with

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tce-load -wi alsa-modules-6.12.11-tinycore64.tczthe .tcz will be "mounted" and the module files will be available for the kernel to load the modules, but it won't load them because they don't match the kernel.

Title: Re: 32bit TCL, 64bit packages?
Post by: CNK on October 23, 2025, 06:43:24 PM

Quote

Is it like in Puppy linux 64bit kernel (some drivers) and 32 Operating system???

Yes I believe you can have that if you use the vmlinuz64 and modules64.gz files from the x86 repo instead of the usual vmlinuz and modules.gz files. You'd have a 64bit kernel and 32bit user-space.

Title: Re: 32bit TCL, 64bit packages?
Post by: Rich on October 23, 2025, 08:04:01 PM

Hi nixHobbyist
Welcome to the forum.

It allows you to run 32 bit programs under a 64 bit kernel.
Instead of using core.gz for an initrd, you would create a core64.gz like this:

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cat rootfs.gz modules64.gz > core64.gzand then boot vmlinuz64 along with core64.gz.

This gives you a kernel that can manage a large amount of RAM and
allocate up to 4 Gig of RAM to each 32 bit program you are running.

You can not run 64 bit programs in this type of environment.