Build biarch compiler on 32 bit machine

[Kai Ruottu]

Veena Abraham wrote:
> I want to able to build my application on a 32-bit
> machine (FC5 on x86) to run on a small range of Linux
> distros on 32 as well as 64-bit platforms. The gcc
> compiler that I have on the FC5 installation does not
> support 64-bit mode. 
>  
> I would like to know if it is possible to build a
> biarch gcc compiler for the FC5 installation on
> 32-bit? 
>   
 Yes, as a crosscompiler to some 'x86_64-<vendor>-linux-gnu'
target where the '<vendor>' is 'suse', 'fedora', 'ubuntu',
'mandriva', 'debian' etc.  Whether the products from these
'vendor's are fully binary compatible is the big question.  Or
whether they are compatible with a 'clean' toolchain  produced
from the FSF sources: binutils, GCC and glibc...

 When not knowing what the exact situation is, one can just
use "brute force" and put the modern 3 GHz 32-bit PC to build
crosstools for each one...  But your "small range of Linux distros
on 32 as well as 64-bit platforms" could tell your choice:  If
targeting to FC3 - FC5, i386 and x86_64, a crosstoolchain made
for 'x86_64-fedora3-linux' and it using glibcs from FC3/x86_64
and FC3/i386 could be enough.  Surely the executables made
for FC3 should work on FC3 - FC5 !