Re: Inconsistent results for checking whether the OS is 32 or 64 bit

On 17/07/2024 23:11, Christian Vanguers wrote:

The mix you have is because Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) can be installed with a
64-bit kernel while using 32-bit user space applications.
It is a common configuration to maximize compatibility while allowing the
benefits of a 64-bit kernel.

I ran that configuration on my Pi 4B's for years.

If you want to run a fully 64-bit system on your RPi 4B, I'm afraid you got to
reinstall.

You can just install a fresh 64 bit Bookworm and set it all up again from scratch. But if you have a lot of customisation of your existing system it is fairly straightforward to move to from 32 bit Buster to 64 bit Buster. You can then upgrade from Buster to Bookworm if desired.
1. Fully upgrade your existing 32 bit system
2. Make a list of all installed 32 bit packages
3. Install the 64 bit image of the same OS release on a new card
    (or another partition on a SSD, which is easier)
4. Fully update the new 64 bit system
5. Make a list of the installed 64 bit packages
6. Install any packages you had installed on the 32 bit system that
    aren't on the 64 bit one (if available)
7. Copy over your /home and /root folder from the 32 bit system
8. Copy over your /etc folder from the 32 bit system
9. Reboot
Step 8 is the bit which could give problems, but I didn't encounter any by following the above as the package versions are identical which generally means the configuration files are compatible.
Steps 7 & 8 ensure the machine key and all ssh keys are preserved, so the machine will slot back to your network with trusted relationships maintained.
---druck