Why Can’t I Install ‘arm64’ Packages on an ‘amd64’ System?

Understanding the architecture of your system is crucial when it comes to installing packages. If you’ve ever tried to install an ‘arm64’ package on an ‘amd64’ system, you’ve likely encountered an error. This article aims to explain why this issue arises and how to resolve it.

Understanding System Architecture

Before delving into the problem, it’s important to understand what ‘arm64’ and ‘amd64’ mean. These are names for specific types of system architectures. ‘amd64’ is a 64-bit architecture developed by AMD, which is widely used in desktop and laptop computers. On the other hand, ‘arm64’, also known as ‘AArch64’, is a 64-bit architecture developed by ARM, commonly used in mobile devices and servers.

The packages you install on your system need to be built specifically for your system’s architecture. If you try to install a package built for a different architecture, you’ll encounter compatibility issues.

The Issue: Installing ‘arm64’ Packages on an ‘amd64’ System

If you try to install an ‘arm64’ package on an ‘amd64’ system, you’ll likely see an error message like “package architecture (arm64) does not match system (amd64)”. This error arises because the ‘arm64’ package is not compatible with the ‘amd64’ system.

However, you might notice that ‘armhf’ packages can be installed on ‘amd64’ systems. This is because ‘armhf’ is a different architecture that is compatible with ‘amd64’ systems.

The Solution: Enabling Multiarch Support

To install ‘arm64’ packages on an ‘amd64’ system, you need to enable multiarch support. Multiarch allows you to install packages from different architectures on the same system.

Here’s how to enable multiarch support:

1. Open a terminal. You can do this by searching for ‘terminal’ in your system’s application menu or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T.
2. Add the ‘arm64’ architecture by running the following command:

   sudo dpkg --add-architecture arm64

   In this command, sudo gives you superuser privileges, dpkg is the package management command, and --add-architecture is the option to add a new architecture.
3. Update your package lists with the following command:

   sudo apt-get update

   Here, apt-get is the Advanced Packaging Tool, and update is the command to refresh your package lists.
4. You can now install ‘arm64’ packages using the ‘:arm64’ suffix. For instance, to install the ‘gcc-6-base’ package, you would run:

   sudo apt-get install gcc-6-base:arm64

   In this command, install is the command to install a package, and gcc-6-base:arm64 is the name of the package with the architecture suffix.

Potential Issues and Limitations

Enabling multiarch support should allow you to install ‘arm64’ packages on your ‘amd64’ system. However, this doesn’t guarantee that all ‘arm64’ packages will work correctly. Some packages may have dependencies or requirements that aren’t compatible with ‘amd64’ systems.

If you encounter any errors during the installation process, ensure that you have the correct package name and that the package is available for the ‘arm64’ architecture. You can check this by visiting the package’s website or consulting its documentation.

In conclusion, while system architecture can pose a challenge when installing packages, solutions like multiarch support can help overcome these issues. Understanding your system’s architecture and the architecture of the packages you’re trying to install is key to resolving compatibility problems.