Two v13.1 installs, both in vmware, both kde, one 32bit one 64bit, ?Two different kernel types?

I just downloaded the KDE 13.1 release of OpenSUSE. I installed the 32bit and the 64bit versions side by side in the same type of VM. I was very surprised that the 64bit installation has a desktop optimized kernel and the 32bit version has the default kernel. (I was not surprised that I had to tweak the Ethernet device names. Grrr) I realize I can change which kernel I’m using, but I’m trying to figure out why it happened this way.

Both VMs started with 2 cpu cores, 1GB RAM, and the default video settings. I can’t find anything I did differently between the two installs, yet I ended up with different kernels.

I would prefer that both installations use the default kernel, but that’s just me. Anyone have an idea why this might have happened? Is there some subtlety that will cause one kernel to install instead of the other?

Thanks in advance for any insight you might have,
SparkyZ

  • Here’s some techy details -

sparky@linux-3lx8:~> uname -a
Linux linux-3lx8 3.11.10-7-desktop #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Feb 3 09:41:24 UTC 2014 (750023e) x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

sparky@linux-p7jj:~> uname -a
Linux linux-p7jj 3.11.10-7-default #1 SMP Mon Feb 3 09:41:24 UTC 2014 (750023e) i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux

VMware Workstation 10 (using ver 9 VM for esxi 5.1 compatability)
64bit VMX:
.encoding = “windows-1252”
config.version = “8”
virtualHW.version = “9”
numvcpus = “2”
cpuid.coresPerSocket = “2”
vcpu.hotadd = “TRUE”
scsi0.present = “TRUE”
scsi0.virtualDev = “lsilogic”
memsize = “1024”
mem.hotadd = “TRUE”
scsi0:0.present = “TRUE”
scsi0:0.fileName = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1000.vmdk”
ide1:0.present = “TRUE”
ide1:0.autodetect = “TRUE”
ide1:0.deviceType = “cdrom-image”
ethernet0.present = “TRUE”
ethernet0.virtualDev = “e1000”
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = “FALSE”
ethernet0.addressType = “generated”
usb.present = “TRUE”
usb.generic.autoconnect = “FALSE”
usb.generic.allowHID = “TRUE”
ehci.present = “TRUE”
ehci.pciSlotNumber = “35”
sound.present = “TRUE”
sound.fileName = “-1”
sound.autodetect = “TRUE”
serial0.present = “TRUE”
serial0.fileType = “thinprint”
pciBridge0.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge4.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge4.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge4.functions = “8”
pciBridge5.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge5.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge5.functions = “8”
pciBridge6.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge6.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge6.functions = “8”
pciBridge7.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge7.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge7.functions = “8”
vmci0.present = “TRUE”
hpet0.present = “TRUE”
displayName = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1000 64b master”
guestOS = “suse-64”
nvram = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1000.nvram”
virtualHW.productCompatibility = “hosted”
powerType.powerOff = “soft”
powerType.powerOn = “soft”
powerType.suspend = “soft”
powerType.reset = “soft”
extendedConfigFile = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1000.vmxf”
ide1:0.fileName = “C:\SUSE\openSUSE-13.1-KDE-Live-x86_64.iso”
bios.forceSetupOnce = “FALSE”
uuid.bios = “56 4d ac f5 14 76 35 ed-5d 78 29 35 ca 0d 5c 96”
uuid.location = “56 4d ac f5 14 76 35 ed-5d 78 29 35 ca 0d 5c 96”
replay.supported = “FALSE”
replay.filename = “”
scsi0:0.redo = “”
pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = “17”
pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = “21”
pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = “22”
pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = “23”
pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = “24”
scsi0.pciSlotNumber = “16”
usb.pciSlotNumber = “32”
ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = “33”
sound.pciSlotNumber = “34”
vmci0.pciSlotNumber = “36”
ethernet0.generatedAddress = “00:0c:29:0d:5c:96”
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = “0”
vmci0.id = “-905093994”
vmotion.checkpointFBSize = “33554432”
cleanShutdown = “TRUE”
softPowerOff = “TRUE”
usb:1.speed = “2”
usb:1.present = “TRUE”
usb:1.deviceType = “hub”
usb:1.port = “1”
usb:1.parent = “-1”
tools.syncTime = “FALSE”
ide1:0.startConnected = “FALSE”
floppy0.present = “FALSE”
toolsInstallManager.updateCounter = “1”
usb:0.present = “TRUE”
usb:0.deviceType = “hid”
usb:0.port = “0”
usb:0.parent = “-1”

32bit VMX:
.encoding = “windows-1252”
config.version = “8”
virtualHW.version = “9”
numvcpus = “2”
cpuid.coresPerSocket = “2”
scsi0.present = “TRUE”
scsi0.virtualDev = “lsilogic”
memsize = “1024”
mem.hotadd = “TRUE”
scsi0:0.present = “TRUE”
scsi0:0.fileName = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1001.vmdk”
ide1:0.present = “TRUE”
ide1:0.autodetect = “TRUE”
ide1:0.deviceType = “cdrom-image”
ethernet0.present = “TRUE”
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = “FALSE”
ethernet0.addressType = “generated”
usb.present = “TRUE”
usb.generic.autoconnect = “FALSE”
usb.generic.allowHID = “TRUE”
ehci.present = “TRUE”
ehci.pciSlotNumber = “35”
sound.present = “TRUE”
sound.fileName = “-1”
sound.autodetect = “TRUE”
serial0.present = “TRUE”
serial0.fileType = “thinprint”
pciBridge0.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge4.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge4.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge4.functions = “8”
pciBridge5.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge5.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge5.functions = “8”
pciBridge6.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge6.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge6.functions = “8”
pciBridge7.present = “TRUE”
pciBridge7.virtualDev = “pcieRootPort”
pciBridge7.functions = “8”
vmci0.present = “TRUE”
hpet0.present = “TRUE”
displayName = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1001 32b master”
guestOS = “suse”
nvram = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1001.nvram”
virtualHW.productCompatibility = “hosted”
powerType.powerOff = “soft”
powerType.powerOn = “soft”
powerType.suspend = “soft”
powerType.reset = “soft”
extendedConfigFile = “vmSUSE13.1kde-1001.vmxf”
ide1:0.fileName = “C:\SUSE\openSUSE-13.1-KDE-Live-i686.iso”
bios.forceSetupOnce = “FALSE”
floppy0.present = “FALSE”
uuid.bios = “56 4d 22 9b 69 9e c7 f8-99 cc bd ab cb c9 a6 25”
uuid.location = “56 4d 22 9b 69 9e c7 f8-99 cc bd ab cb c9 a6 25”
replay.supported = “FALSE”
replay.filename = “”
scsi0:0.redo = “”
pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = “17”
pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = “21”
pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = “22”
pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = “23”
pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = “24”
scsi0.pciSlotNumber = “16”
usb.pciSlotNumber = “32”
ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = “33”
sound.pciSlotNumber = “34”
vmci0.pciSlotNumber = “36”
ethernet0.generatedAddress = “00:0c:29:c9:a6:25”
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = “0”
vmci0.id = “-875977179”
vmotion.checkpointFBSize = “33554432”
cleanShutdown = “TRUE”
softPowerOff = “TRUE”
usb:1.speed = “2”
usb:1.present = “TRUE”
usb:1.deviceType = “hub”
usb:1.port = “1”
usb:1.parent = “-1”
tools.syncTime = “FALSE”
usb:0.present = “TRUE”
usb:0.deviceType = “hid”
usb:0.port = “0”
usb:0.parent = “-1”

Probably vmware doesn’t emulate PAE by default for a 32bit VM?
The installer has to use kernel-default then, as kernel-desktop (and kernel-pae as well obviously) needs PAE.

On 64bit there is no such thing as PAE (the addresses are 64bit anyway), so the preferred kernel-desktop can be installed.

You can check this by running “cat /proc/cpuinfo” in the VM. Check whether the “flags” include pae or not. The 64bit VM should in any case.

I don’t have a working vmware setup at the moment, so cannot check. But there should be a possibility to turn on/off PAE somewhere in the VM’s settings. It maybe depends on what guest OS you select.
You should be able to explicitely configure this with the option “paevm=true” (or “paevm=false”) in the vmx file though.