[CentOS] Anaconda allows x86_64 CD/DVD to be used to install i386 system

[Johnny Hughes]

On Thu, 2006-05-04 at 09:03 -0500, Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> Quoting Karanbir Singh <mail-lists at karan.org>:
> 
> > Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> >>
> >> Let say the tree on my install server looks like this:
> >>
> >> /centos/os/i386
> >> /centos/os/x86_64
> >>
> >>
> >> If I use x86_64 media to boot, but by mistake in ks.cfg file I had
> >> something like:
> >>
> >> url http://installsrv/centos/os/i386
> >>
> >> Anaconda will happily install from i386 tree.
> >
> > no it wont. try it, really.
> 
> Actully, it works.  Try it.  Really.  I just did it.  And did it once  
> again just to make sure it really works.  It works.  Anaconda is not  
> complaining.  It should.  But it doesn't.
> 
> > at buildtime a timestamp and a session stamp are inserted into both ends
> > of the side for a network install. unless they match - you cant install
> > anything. you cant even use a boot.iso from a different build cycle
> > against a different tree, even in the same arch...
> 
> You mean the first line of .discinfo?  Seems to be ignored.  At least  
> with 4.3 media.  I built my DVD from CD images using mkdvdiso.sh script.
> 
> > so, umm.. how did you achieve this :)
> 
> As I said.  I had "url --url http://installsrv/centos/os/i386/" in my  
> ks.cfg.  I forgot to replace i386 with x86_64.  I booted off x86_64  
> DVD intending to install x86_64.  And it "worked".  It shouldn't have  
> worked.  But it did.  Try it.  It installed from i386 tree.  As if I  
> booted from i386 DVD.
> 
> After installation it all booted fine, as if I did i386 install.  But  
> somehow yum believes this is x86_64 installation ($basearch expands to  
> x86_64 in yum config files).  Bad things happen when  
> installing/updating via yum (can't run 64-bit binaries under 32-bit  
> kernel).  Plus, yum is *installing* (as in "rpm -i") x86_64 packages  
> when I do "yum update".  Creating a total mess in the system.
> 

As I said before ... you CAN install i386 packages to an x86_64
system ... so what you did is valid.

It is still an x86_64 machine and it still thinks you want it to be an
x86_64 install.

If you use real media to boot (and not boot.iso) it will allow you to
install from a newer tree, that is by design.  You can also install i386
packages from x86_64, that is also by design.

You shouldn't do an install in this manner, because it is broken ...
however, you could choose to do it.  Anaconda is flexible to allow you
to do this ... it would not install ia-64 packages (for example) in this
way, nor will it install x86_64 packages on an i386 install in this way.

What you are asking it to do is valid ... you can install i386 packages
to x86_64 ... so the system assumes you know what you are doing.
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