Identifying if OS and Oracle installation is 64 bit or 32 bit

Use the following steps to check if Operating system and Oracle software is 32 bit or 64 bit

Determining whether OS is 64 bit or 32 bit:

- On Solaris,

$ /usr/bin/isainfo -kv
64-bit amd64 kernel modules

$ /usr/bin/isainfo -v
64-bit amd64 applications
cx16 mon sse3 pause sse2 sse fxsr mmx cmov amd_sysc cx8 tsc fpu
32-bit i386 applications
cx16 mon sse3 pause sse2 sse fxsr mmx cmov sep cx8 tsc fpu

This output tells us that solaris operating systems allow co-existence of 32-bit and 64-bit files.

- On AIX,
$ getconf -a | grep KERN
$ file /usr/lib/boot/unix*

- On HP-UX,
$ /usr/bin/ getconf KERNEL_BITS
$ /usr/bin/file /stand/vmunix

- On linux,

$uname -a
Linux debian 2.6.18-4-686 #1 SMP Wed May 9 23:03:12 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

If the output is x86_64 then 64-bit and i686 or similar for 32-bit.

- On windows,

Start>All Programs>accessories> System Tools>System Information>look for under System summary.

Or start>run>dixdiag>Then check for WHQL digital signature.



Determining whether Oracle Software is 32 bit or 64 bit:


Method 1:
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Go to $ORACLE_HOME/bin and check,

# cd $ORACLE_HOME/bin
# file oracle
oracle: ELF 64-bit LSB executable AMD64 Version 1, dynamically linked, not stripped

Here it comes 64 bit and hence oracle software is 64 bit. If the output of the "file oracle" command does not say 64-bit explicitly then you are running 32-bit Oracle.

If you had 32 bit oracle software installed then output will be like,

oracle@sol:/db/oracle/bin$ file oracle
oracle: setuid setgid ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), not stripped



Method 2: Check for lib, lib32 folders
--------------------------------------

1) $ORACLE_HOME/lib32
2) $ORACLE_HOME/lib

If the two directories $ORACLE_HOME/lib32 and $ORACLE_HOME/lib are existing then it is 64 bit.

If only ORACLE_HOME/lib directory exists, then it is 32 bit.