Switching from 64-bit (x86_64) to 32-bit (x86) Slackware 14.2 kernel
Hello,
I am trying to switch the default 64-bit kernel in the Slackware 14.2 image to a 32-bit kernel. I edited the configuration selecting Latest x86 kernel instead of Latest x86_64 (v5.3.x) kernel, saved the changes, and tried both rebooting and then booting to that configuration but I get a kernel panic in the Lish console upon boot. Is there something I am not doing correctly?
Thanks,
xompax
1 Reply
jackley
Linode Staff
Hey @xompax – thanks for the question. I tested this on my own and I have the same issue, so I don't think you're doing something incorrectly. We use 64-bit images, and they don't seem to be compatible with 32-bit kernels (we used to offer 32-bit images, I suspect we keep those around for legacy images that still require them). I also tested a 32-bit kernel on a 64-bit Debian image in GRUB, and I had the same problem – so it doesn't seem to be a problem specific to our kernels.
Out of curiosity: is there something specific you need a 32-bit kernel for?
You might be able to work around this by following the Slackware guide on adding multilib compatibility to your system:
https://docs.slackware.com/slackware:multilib
By default, Slackware64 doesn't include any 32-bit software, so if that's your goal, following the steps in this guide might be necessary. Otherwise, if you require a 32-bit image/32-bit kernel, you could try uploading a custom image to your Linode.
You might want to also try reaching out to the Slackware community, if you need help with that guide:
https://docs.slackware.com/slackware:community
It looks like their community forum is hosted on LinuxQuestions.org