[ubuntu-uk] uname -a for 32 bit os on 64 bit cpu

[Colin Law]

On 15 November 2011 09:35, Avi Greenbury <lists at avi.co> wrote:
> Juan J. wrote:
>
>> For -m says "on which the system is running", which doesn't seem to be
>> coherent with the uname output we are getting in a 64 bit system
>> running a 32 bit kernel.
>
> It depends why you are interested.
>
> When a 686 kernel is running on an amd64 chip, it *is* running on 686
> hardware (it must be since it is running 686 code), but it is some 686
> hardware with extensions such that it can also run amd64 code.

But if you run uname in the 64 bit OS it says that it is running on a
different type of hardware, which it is not, it is just that the 64
bit OS uses the extensions whereas the 32 bit does not.

Colin