The installation file for Linux running Linux PowerPC (glibc 2.x) 64 Bit little endian version

The currently installation file for x64 running Linux PowerPC (glibc 2.x) 64 Bit seemed to be big endian version, it will be not able to use in the newest Linux  distributions on IBM® Power Systems™ that Linux on IBM® Power Systems™ strategic shift from big endian to little endian.

Is possible to provide the installation file with little endian that the customers will begin to evaluate the possibility to replace AIX with Linux on Power system? 

Good morning, @Stone Liao.

Thank you for having contacted us via the new Community.

I am going to notify our Development about your post.

I just need a confirmation from you about the Port Machine Key of the setup you have tried to use on your sever.

What is the exact file name of the setup you have tried to install?

The number following "pmk" in the file name is the one I am interested in.

For example: setup_acucob1051pmk59shACU

Alternatively, can you please run the following command-line: runcbl -vvv

and return the value for Port Machine Key that's displayed?

Thank you very much.

Hi,

The installation file is "setup_acucob1051pu2pmk57stACU".

If trying to execute the installation, the Linux will response the error message as "./setup_acucob1051pu2pmk57stACU: cannot execute binary file: Exec format error".   So I cannot get the result of "runcbl -vvv" that the installation had failed.

The command of "uname -m" will return "ppc64le".

And trying "readelf  -h  ./setup_acucob1051pu2pmk57stACU", in the returned ELF header information, the "Data" shows "2's complement, big endian" and the "Machine" shows  "PowerPC64".

Thank you for having reported these useful information.

A quick research over the Internet shows the following:

ppc64le is a pure little-endian mode that has been introduced with the POWER8 as the prime target for technologies provided by the OpenPOWER Foundation, aiming at enabling porting of the x86 Linux-based software with minimal effort.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ppc64

Systems based on POWER8 became available from IBM in June 2014.[3] Systems and POWER8 processor designs made by other OpenPOWER members were available in early 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POWER8

These are far from being "newest Linux distributions".

Is there a specific reason you are migrating to such a kind of systems?

Can you rather prefer a standard ppc64 ("ppc64 is an identifier commonly used within the GNU/Linux, GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and LLVM free software communities to refer to the target architecture for applications optimized for 64-bit big-endian PowerPC and Power ISA processors.[1]")

ACUCOBOL-GT has been supporting this latter OS for years.

Hi,

Because a customer is preparing an environment to begin the evaluation about Linux on Power system, when checking the Linux installed on the environment, it had been the little endian version. 

And as "https://developer.ibm.com/articles/l-power-little-endian-faq-trs/" mentioned：

• IBM strongly encourages new providers to start as little endian to eliminate any transition planning and to simplify the application development process.
• All three Linux on Power partners – Canonical, Red Hat, and SUSE – offer little endian distributions.
  • Beginning with the 14.04 distribution, Canonical's Ubuntu Server supports Power in little endian mode only.
  • SUSE's Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) offers SLES 12 on Power in little endian mode only.
  • Since the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.1, Red Hat provides both little endian and big endian versions of Linux on IBM Power Systems. At this time, these products are separately licensed and non-transferable.
• The customers may decide to follow IBM's suggestion to use little endian version when choosing the Linux distribution.

------------------------------
Stone Liao
Manager
Channelmaker Technology Co., Ltd.
Taipei TW
------------------------------

Hi,

Because a customer is preparing an environment to begin the evaluation about Linux on Power system, when checking the Linux installed on the environment, it had been the little endian version. 

And as "https://developer.ibm.com/articles/l-power-little-endian-faq-trs/" mentioned：

• IBM strongly encourages new providers to start as little endian to eliminate any transition planning and to simplify the application development process.
• All three Linux on Power partners – Canonical, Red Hat, and SUSE – offer little endian distributions.
  • Beginning with the 14.04 distribution, Canonical's Ubuntu Server supports Power in little endian mode only.
  • SUSE's Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) offers SLES 12 on Power in little endian mode only.
  • Since the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.1, Red Hat provides both little endian and big endian versions of Linux on IBM Power Systems. At this time, these products are separately licensed and non-transferable.
• The customers may decide to follow IBM's suggestion to use little endian version when choosing the Linux distribution.

------------------------------
Stone Liao
Manager
Channelmaker Technology Co., Ltd.
Taipei TW
------------------------------

Thank you, @Stone Liao

I've submitted Case n. 03050106.

You should be able to connect to https://portal.microfocus.com/

and manage the case from there.