Thanks everyone for the info. To summarize, it looks like 64-bit Linux is not the issue it was a few years ago for crystallography software. Many typically used crystallography packages are compiled for 64 bit now and the ia32 libs typically provide compatibility for those not yet compiled as 64 bit binaries.
Cheers, Roger Rowlett On Apr 4, 2012 6:06 AM, "Roger Rowlett" <rrowl...@colgate.edu> wrote: > A 32 bit Linux OS with PAE enabled (which is all of the current Linux > distros) can actually address 64 Gb of memory, but no more than 3 Gb per > process. 3 Gb may not be that much of a limitation for many processes, so > large performance increases on a 64-bit system compared to a 32-bit may be > difficult to observe in practice for now. > > Roger Rowlett > On Apr 4, 2012 5:09 AM, "Tim Gruene" <t...@shelx.uni-ac.gwdg.de> wrote: > >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >> Hash: SHA1 >> >> Hi Tom, >> >> because there are PCs out there with more than 200GB RAM, as well as >> programs and systems that make use of them. As far as I understand a >> 32-bit compiled kernel would have not possibility to address anything >> beyong 4GB. >> >> Regards, >> Tim >> >> On 04/04/12 10:53, Tom Peat wrote: >> > Hello Tim, >> > >> > I believe the notion comes about as one can thread 64 instead of 32 >> addresses concurrently, thereby boosting performance. If it has no >> performance boost, why would they bother? >> > >> > Cheers, tom >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: Tim Gruene [mailto:t...@shelx.uni-ac.gwdg.de] >> > Sent: Wednesday, 4 April 2012 6:43 PM >> > To: Peat, Tom (CMSE, Parkville) >> > Cc: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK >> > Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Who is using 64-bit Linux? >> > >> > Dear Tom, >> > >> > 64-bit is about memory addressing - why would you expect a performance >> > boost? I have wondered where this notion originated from. >> > >> > Cheers, >> > Tim >> > >> > On 04/03/12 22:07, Tom Peat wrote: >> >> We use the 64 bit Centos (Red Hat) distro and CCP4, Coot, etc seem to >> work fine on this. >> >> I can't say I notice a big performance boost from the 64 bit side of >> things. >> >> Maybe I'm just impatient. >> >> cheers, tom >> > >> > >> >> Tom Peat >> >> Biophysics Group >> >> CSIRO, CMSE >> >> 343 Royal Parade >> >> Parkville, VIC, 3052 >> >> +613 9662 7304 >> >> +614 57 539 419 >> >> tom.p...@csiro.au >> >> ________________________________________ >> >> From: CCP4 bulletin board [CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK] On Behalf Of Roger >> Rowlett [rrowl...@colgate.edu] >> >> Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 5:57 AM >> >> To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK >> >> Subject: [ccp4bb] Who is using 64-bit Linux? >> > >> >> The time has come for me to upgrade my Linux OS to something more >> recent >> >> for me and my student workstations. A 32-bit distro is certainly >> >> conservative and compatible with CCP4 and Coot, but it seems like that >> >> solution hobbles my hardware and puts some limitations on available >> >> memory, even with PAE enabled. So who is using a 64-bit distro these >> >> days, and are there lingering issues of compatibility and dependency >> >> hell with commonly used XRD software, like CCP4, Coot, iMOSFLM etc.? >> > >> >> Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (beta) actually works OK with one simple workaround >> for >> >> the global menu for CCP4 and Coot, and wine compatibility is fine for >> >> running CrysalisPro in the same environment, so it's really comes down >> >> to whether or not the extra performance of a 64-bit OS is worth the >> pain >> >> of compatibility issues for XRD software. Any thoughts? >> > >> >> Cheers, >> > >> >> _______________________________________ >> >> Roger S. Rowlett >> >> Gordon & Dorothy Kline Professor >> >> Department of Chemistry >> >> Colgate University >> >> 13 Oak Drive >> >> Hamilton, NY 13346 >> > >> >> tel: (315)-228-7245 >> >> ofc: (315)-228-7395 >> >> fax: (315)-228-7935 >> >> email: rrowl...@colgate.edu >> > >> > >> >> - -- >> - -- >> Dr Tim Gruene >> Institut fuer anorganische Chemie >> Tammannstr. 4 >> D-37077 Goettingen >> >> GPG Key ID = A46BEE1A >> >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >> Version: GnuPG v1.4.12 (GNU/Linux) >> Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ >> >> iD8DBQFPfA/AUxlJ7aRr7hoRAmfDAKDleNNb2BVxcNIHg7x81ks3gK5BpACgzQ9J >> DwQDnMorze1xjTZ+0qqacEg= >> =wVwe >> -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- >> >
