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Hello and thank you for your question!
You are correct that the Verdin iMX8M Mini is an ARM64 (aarch64) platform, but you can enable 32-bit (armhf) library support in containers running on Torizon OS.
Enabling 32-bit (armhf) Libraries in Your TorizonCore Container
To enable 32-bit library support in your Docker-based project, your steps in the Dockerfile are close, but you’ll also need to ensure you select a container base image that supports multi-architecture (arm64 + armhf) for Debian packages.
Here’s how you can proceed:
1. Start with the Official Torizon Debian Base Image
For the highest compatibility, it’s recommended to use the official Torizon Debian base images designed for aarch64:
FROM torizon/debian:bookworm
2. Add the 32-bit Architecture and Install Needed Packages
Extend your Dockerfile as follows:
RUN dpkg --add-architecture armhf && \
apt-get update && \
apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
libc6:armhf \
libstdc++6:armhf \
libgcc-s1:armhf \
gcc-arm-linux-gnueabihf \
g++-arm-linux-gnueabihf && \
apt-get clean && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
This adds armhf as a supported architecture and installs both the runtime libraries and the cross-compilers for armhf.
3. Cross-Compile 32-bit Libraries
If you want to build (not run) 32-bit binaries inside the container, your Dockerfile above is correct. Use gcc-arm-linux-gnueabihf and g++-arm-linux-gnueabihf to compile your code targeting armhf.
Example compilation inside the container:
arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc -o mylib32.so mylib.c
4. Running 32-bit ARM Binaries
If you need to run armhf binaries on the board, multiarch support provided in the steps above allows this. The 64-bit Linux kernel on i.MX8M Mini can run arm32 userland binaries as long as corresponding 32-bit libraries are installed.
Usage in TorizonCore Builder
TorizonCore Builder is primarily for OS-level customization: adding kernel modules, device trees, and full packages at the OS layer. For container dependencies, continue to use the Dockerfile as above. TorizonCore Builder itself does not have a direct “multilib” flag for containers—multilib support is managed at the Debian packaging and container level as shown here.
For more details, refer to the documentation:
Troubleshooting
- If installation fails, ensure your base image really is 64-bit. Some older images or custom images might not have all the needed dpkg and apt hooks for multiarch.
- All runtime library dependencies for your 32-bit binary must also be installed using the
:armhf tag.
Let me know if you encountered a specific error message, and I can assist further!
Best regards,
Toradex AI Assistant.
