hi,
Slackware64 can be turned to a multilib 32/64 system easily, as we all know.

But would it be possible to turn a Slackware32 into a multilib 32/64 system, without reinstalling to a slack64?

Maybe booting from a 64bit DVD, mounting the disk partition and upgradepkg-ing enough relevant packages?

Has anyone tried it and is willing to provide any info?

Sounds like the hard way to me.

We wouldn't be using Slack if the hard ways would scare us, would we?

I think I'll try in a virtual machine and see what comes out.

Just out of curiosity, why would you need multilib if you are using 32bit Slackware?
The rationale for multilib is so that the user can use the relatively few remaining apps that are 32bit only on 64bit Slackware. If you are using 32bit, then you are there already, as I am sure you know.
Are you looking for better performance from 32bit Slackware? Or are you trying to use more than 3GB of memory on 32bit Slackware?
If so, then I would think that the best approach would be to start with 64bit Slackware. Then add multilib if you need it.
I use both (sort of). I have Slackware 13.1 32bit installed to one partition. And I have Salix 13.1 64bit installed to another partition. I have 3GB of memory and a dual core 64bit CPU. I do not see any really significant difference in performance between 32bit and 64bit. Your experience could well be different though.

For the sake of detail, I want to turn an already installed 32bit system into a 64bit system without reinstalling. But being the "main" system, where I also use wine, google earth, skype, etc. I also want to run those. I already have a 64bit only installation on the laptop, that I made from scratch when slack64 came out.
The main system is a pre-slack64 era installation on current. I don't remember exactly, I think it was a 12.0 system went to current.

Linux doesn't need to be 64bit to handle more than 3Gb of memory in a decent way For the experience I've had on my other systems, I feel the 64bit system to be slightly more sleek and efficient. It could be just a perception, but I like it! Also this "main" system is a rather powerful equipment (AMD PhenomII 975) and keeping it on 32bit sounds a lil offensive

It could be, but I come from an the old school where reinstalling is the last resort of a poorly skilled administrator That's why I keep all my systems on -current, I never reinstall them, just keep them up to date. Each installation is meant to last, ideally, forever. It may sound fussy, I know!

Yes, I've read a lot of opinions on this matter, and many say there's no visible difference in performance. But also many say that they do feel the system as being more responsive in some way. It could be just a perception.

Anyway sooner or later 32bit should fade away. Are we going to 128bit systems with still 32bit software?

You could probably accomplish the goal by first installing the 64bit kernel and re booting (don't replace the existing kernel and add a separate boot option just to be sure you don't screw anything up)

Once you boot 32bit slackware with a 64bit slackware, I would think the process would be the same by installing the same alien bob multilib compilers and glibc stuff.

You could then edit the assistant scripts that aim at assisting compiling 64bit instead of 32bit as well as the repackage scripts to convert 64bit packages to install on 32bit systems without conflicts.

However, the usefulness of this is pointless. You would be better off reinstalling from scratch a full 64bit system and converting it to multilib for the very few 32bit apps you need to support.

If you do want to do this you'll probably be spending some time with the install disc using `ROOT=/path/to/slack removepkg`/`ROOT=/path/to/slack installpkg` and/or using upgradepkg in a chroot environment. I don't think this process has been documented anywhere so it would require experimentation. It's possible, yes, but not straightforward and it is far easier to just backup the relevant partitions and install fresh (and subsequently copy your data back).

ok guys thanks for your answers and hints.
You all say the things I was imagining myself, more or less.

I will see if I want to spend time trying this conversion or if I just want to backup data and reinstall (btw, the scope of the whole mess was to avoid a reinstall and a backup )

First, try switching the kernel to a 64-bit one and run your 32-bit userland on that. It should work just fine. But you are in for a lot of change going 32->ML than going 64->ML, since ML is mostly a 64-bit system with ability to do 32-bit.

To be honest, this was my first impression when I installed 64bit Slackware. The system did seem to be a bit faster and more responsive. Whether this was just my subjective opinion or not I really can not say.
Theoretically, it should be so, since the 64bit kernel is more optimized for 64bit CPUs.
Yes this is true. The future belongs (at least for the present time anyway!!!) to 64bit CPUs and software.
By the time we are ready to move to 128bit software, all of the 32bit stuff should be a distant memory. After all, how many people are still running 16bit software in this growing age of 64bit CPUs and software?

One thing is for certain ...
When the world is ready to move to 128bit CPUs and software, I will probably continue to use that old and tired 64bit stuff until the very last days of it.

It will be a long time until 32 bit Linux will fade away. The majority of Linux devices nowadays are not PCs, but embedded devices like smartphones and such things, and allmost all of them run 32 bit processors.

The memory model used for 32-bit can also have an effect. If you have, for example, an 8 GB RAM machine, to use it all in 32-bit, you need PAE mode, which causes the kernel to "bend over backwards" in many cases of memory access between kernel and process VM.

But 64-bit isn't exactly optimal for everything. More memory is used in structs and arrays that store pointers. Most programs don't have much impact from that, fortunately.

The embedded firmware in your toaster might still be 32-bit

At least we'll have 64-bit time values to avoid the Y2038 bugs, though you might find your food freezer thawing out on that fateful day if they still use 32-bit time values

Well the old school didn't have 64bit systems
so get out your gas mask (to filter out the snitch installtion ) and install
I said INSTALL not reinstall
you can't reinstall something that was never installed in the first place


most likely you have a ton of cruft laying around from all the up dates
that could use cleaning out anyway

your right most of the time
"reinstalling is the last resort of a poorly skilled administrator "
BUT not always
some times it's the best way to clean house

One of them are YOU, because a cheaper phone run in 16bit, also, just to remember that your TV box microcontroller typically run 8bit code, being derived from the platform MCS51.

Why not just upgrade to 64-bit? Start by upgrading the kernel and rebooting.