ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) writes:

> Alex Kost <alezost@gmail.com> skribis:
>
>> Hello, I have Guix installed on a 32-bit "ArchLinux", and I use the
>> following command to “deploy” a 64-bit GuixSD:
>>
>> $ guix system init --no-grub --system=x86_64-linux my-os-config.scm /mnt/guix
>>
>> However, eventually it fails with the following output:
>>
>> ...
>> downloading `/gnu/store/qf803k3npvn8632vssc4g3zp0s5klghv-modprobe'
>> from
>> `http://hydra.gnu.org/nar/qf803k3npvn8632vssc4g3zp0s5klghv-modprobe'
>> (0.0 MiB installed)...
>> http://hydra.gnu.org/nar/qf803k3npvn8632vssc4g3zp0s5klghv-modprobe	   0.5 KiB transferredkilling process 18626
>> guix system: error: build failed: a `x86_64-linux' is required to build `/gnu/store/zckxg5v0pdxb22kyl6jrzawj1wwrfjby-locale.drv', but I am a `i686-linux'
>
> It works as long as there are substitutes available, but some
> derivations are not substitutable, as you noticed, and since an i686
> host cannot run x86_64 code, you get this error.
>
>> So I'm wondering is there a way to init a 64-bit system from a 32-bit
>> one or perhaps it's just not possible?
>
> It actually is possible, but a little bit trickier.  Mark did it a few
> weeks ago, though in a slightly different context.  The following should
> work:
>
>   1. Install an i686 GuixSD, simply with ‘guix system init’, but use an
>      x86_64 kernel.  To do that, you need to explicitly ask for an
>      x86_64 kernel and Guix (so that the daemon accepts to build x86_64
>      things) in the OS config:
>
>        (define linux-libre-x86_64
>          (package (inherit linux-libre)
>            (arguments `(#:system "x86_64-linux"
>                         ,@(package-arguments linux-libre)))))

I think this is not sufficient, because it would still use the kernel
config for i686.  Here's what I used for the kernel: