This seems like a contradiction:

[slacker@bsslack /proc] $ echo $HOSTTYPE
i386

[slacker@bsslack /proc] $ uname -a
Linux bsslack 2.4.20 #2 Mon Mar 17 22:02:15 PST 2003 i686 unknown

[slacker@bsslack /proc] $ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 5
model name : Pentium II (Deschutes)
stepping : 3
cpu MHz : 400.919
cache size : 512 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 2
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr
bogomips : 799.53

HOSTTYPE is set to i386. Shouldn't that be i686?
It's i686 on my AMD K6-II 350 machine with Red Hat on it.

Where does that get set? And, this is a default installation of slack 9.0. No kernel recompiles or anything like that. But that's probably what it needs, eh? Is the default for HOSTTYPE a least common denominator (sort of) set to i386?

Thanks.


Edit: dagnabit!! typo in title: [varable = variable] - can a moderator fix that?? thanks...

I think it's not as much about discriminating
between CPU's as architectures ...

i386 in this case is eqivalent to "IBM PC
compatible" and as opposed to ARM or
PowerPC...

Cheers,
Tink

Yes, but, I have 2 other machines here with red hat that say i686 for HOSTTYPE and those machines are a P-III 866 and the AMD K6-II 350.

I would think, then, that the HOSTTYPE for the P-II 400 with slackware would be i686 also.
(not that I am yet aware of where that variable is actually used, yet.)

Well, RedHat is clearly lieing here.

K6 is NOT i686 compatible, but i586, so my
educated guess is that RH just uses HOSTTYPE
to express their own idea of what you've got
installed rather than anything that relates to
your actual hardware, maybe based on some
internal naming conventions for their distro's
RPM's ... I'd also guess that they'd say i686
on a box with a PIV or Athlon.

Just don't worry about the variable ;)

Cheers,
Tink