How to install ia32-libs in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr)

Question

I installed Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) yesterday. Everything seems OK. But when I tried to compile some C code, I encounter the following error. The error seems to be due to the OS lacking the 32-bit architecture support. The error output is as following:

/usr/bin/ld: i386 architecture of input file `./libsc.a(ftl_msg.o)' is incompatible with i386:x86-64 output
/usr/bin/ld: i386 architecture of input file `./libsc.a(libsc_debug.o)' is incompatible with i386:x86-64 output
/usr/bin/ld: i386 architecture of input file `./libsc.a(libsc_str.o)' is incompatible with i386:x86-64 output
/usr/bin/ld: i386 architecture of input file `./libsc.a(libsc_cfg_common.o)' is incompatible with i386:x86-64 output

I used to apt-get install ia32-libs when I was using Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin). But what I know is that Ubuntu has removed the ia32-libs since Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander). How can I fix this problem?

Virgenvirgie

Check the multiarch information for Ubuntu. You can append :i386 to a package name to install the 32bit version of it. – Mcgowan

I have exactly this problem, i need the ia32-libs for running fortinet vpn client, it worked perfectly under 10.04 LTS and 12.04 LTS. I tried 'sudo apt-get install ia32-libs:i386' but doesn't work, i've also installed the 'lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0' packages but they don't work. – Wagstaff

@Wagstaff I decide to install ubuntu12.04(32bit). About my question, I have got some answers. They are not my keys, but may give help to you. 1. you can try make clean then make your code again. 2. you can try to install whole ia32-libs, just like what Mike Tang's answer. 3. you can try to add ``-m32` when you compass your code, for example: gcc -m32 helloworld.c. Good luck. – Virgenvirgie

This should really be on Server Fault. – Burch

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because its about the location of libraries for linux. While tangentially about programming, the solution will be more of a linux configuration answer, not a programming one. – Recording

Possible duplicate of How to make Android's aapt and adb work on 64-bit Ubuntu without ia32-libs (works for versions 12, 13 and 14) – Viewing

Answer 1

You can try this to install the 32-bit library (not all in ia32-libs):

sudo  apt-get install program:i386

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 may be required (if you haven't ever run that).

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Or if you want to install the whole ia32-lib instead, try the following order:

sudo -i
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d
echo "deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring main restricted universe multiverse" >ia32-libs-raring.list
apt-get update
apt-get install ia32-libs

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PS: In this way, you can install ia32-libs. However, we add the source of 13.04 instead, so, there may be some unknown problem. After installing ia32-libs, I recommend you to remove the ia32-libs-raring.list in /etc/apt/sources.list.d, and do sudo apt-get update.

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If you want to fix the dependency of Android SDK, you can try this bellow:

sudo apt-get install -y libc6-i386 lib32stdc++6 lib32gcc1 lib32ncurses5 lib32z1

Evening

E: Package 'ia32-libs' has no installation candidate – Schroeder

I couldn't access archive.ubuntu.com. Lots of not found while apt-get update. So I changed the package source to deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring main restricted universe multi verse. Now it works. – Scout

Raring archive is not available on the ubuntu archive anymore. I changed the raring archive for the precise archive. Package ia32-libs will install now. – Blanco

Doesn't work on 14.04. The solution that works for me is Aleksei's answer. – Decree

the second line is echo "deb old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu raring main restricted universe multiverse" >/etc/apt/sources.list.d/ia32-libs-raring.list – Eudemonics

I was trying to install this for PlayOnLinux. It did work for me. – Saunder

This is a very terrible solution. (1) You should minimize how you are using an unsupported mix of releases, such as by pinning it to use only a very specific set of packages. (2) You don't need to do this at all for non-bugged packages... just use the packages that are in the new release instead of the old ones. And for bugged packages that depend on non-existent packages, this is not the right way either. Report the bug and use apt-get with some option to ignore deps (I don't know which... can't find it... or use dpkg --ignore-depends=package) until it's fixed. – Flagellate

Answer 2

Install gcc multiple library.

sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib

Questa

This gcc-multilib meta package in 14.04 is the closest drop-in replacement for the ia32-libs meta package that was in 12.04 that I have encountered so far, but it still doesn't satisfy package dependencies that are explicitly set to ia32-libs. – Enclitic

Can't upvote this enough. This and libstdc++6-4.7-dev:i386 is required to extract the Internet Explorer virtual machines from www.modern.ie – Futtock

this still works on Ubuntu 16.04 (but I don't know how complete it is) – Flagellate

I also had to: sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0 – Governor

Thanks to this post and this: unix.stackexchange.com/questions/407432/… i was able to setup my Brother DCP J152 as printer in CUPS. Thanks!! – Jennyjeno

Answer 3

The best answer I have ever seen is How to run 32-bit applications on Ubuntu 64-bit?

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libc6:i386 libncurses5:i386 libstdc++6:i386
sudo ./adb

Inhabit

It was totally a problem with my adb (packed with clockworkmod carbon/helium). Thanks for that answer which was spot on for my problem (maybe not OP problem, though ^^). And anyway, this answer seems to me to be the cleaner. No adding previous previous ubuntu version repository link, which will create a big mess afterwards I'm sure… – Patella

This also did the trick for me, where I got the unhelpful (and hardly any Google results too, so pray this gets indexed) error "error while loading shared libraries: libncurses.so.5". Thanks! – Sarcenet

great answer for Ubuntu 14.04 but doesn't work on 16.04 – Flagellate

Answer 4

I got it finally! Here is my way, and I hope it can help you :)

sudo apt-get install libc6:i386
sudo -i
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d
echo "deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring main restricted universe multiverse" >ia32-libs-raring.list
apt-get update
apt-get install ia32-libs
rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ia32-libs-raring.list
apt-get update
exit
sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib

I don't know the reason why I need to install these, but it works on my computer. When you finish installing these packages, it's time to try. Oh yes, I need to tell you. This time when you want to compile your code, you should add -m32 after gcc, for example: gcc -m32 -o hello helloworld.c. Just make clean and make again. Good luck friends.

PS: my environment is: Ubuntu 14.04 64-bit (Trusty Tahr) and GCC version 4.8.4. I have written the solution in my blog, but it is in Chinese :-) - How to compass 32bit programm under ubuntu14.04.

Virgenvirgie

It's probably obvious to anyone actually having to do this, but don't put the "/" in the rm statement. – Oleum

Yes, it's my mistake. I have fixed it now. Thank you~ @Oleum – Virgenvirgie

-1: While this works, it is really bad practice. There are much better solutions in this AskUbuntu post that don't require installing old repositories. This method should only be needed for very old binary packages. But as you have the source code, this method is really not appropriate. – Grandnephew

Raring archive is not available on the ubuntu archive anymore. I changed the raring archive for the precise archive. Package ia32-libs will install now. – Phosphocreatine

-1 for me too. You will face a ton of problems with dependencies coming from 2 versions. Even if you removed the raring references afterwards. Totally agree with @jmiserez. – Patella

Do not mix two sources for this. See the better answer by Aleksei. – Decree

Answer 5

These alternative libraries worked for me:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0 lib32stdc++6

Pleo

Answer 6

I had the same problem as above and Eclipse suggested installing:

Hint: On 64-bit systems, make sure the 32-bit libraries are installed:   
   "sudo apt-get install ia32-libs"    
or on some systems,  
   "sudo apt-get install lib32z1"   

When I tried to install ia32-libs, Ubuntu prompted to install three other packages:

$ sudo apt-get install ia32-libs  
Reading package lists... Done  
Building dependency tree         
Reading state information... Done  
Package ia32-libs is not available, but is referred to by another package.  
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or  
is only available from another source  
However the following packages replace it:  
  lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0  

E: Package 'ia32-libs' has no installation candidate  
$   
$ sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32bz2-1.0    

With Android Studio and intellij, I also had to install the 32bit version of libstdc++6:

sudo apt-get install lib32stdc++6

Hasbeen

This seems the solution for me, since the package ia32-libs is obsolete, and it works! – Diegodiehard

This lib32z1 is priceless – Illconditioned

Answer 7

For me, I have to run

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

before running Mike Tang's answer. Otherwise, I can't install ia32-libs.

Br

Answer 8

Simply install the 32-bit version of the program, instead of the 64-bit version.

This is much safer than installing packages that are not intended for the distribution at hand.

I got this suggestion from the Google Earth installation instructions for Ubuntu 14.04. Google Earth used to employ ia32-libs under 64-bit Ubuntu 12.04.

Quoting webupd8.org:

The ia32-libs package is no longer available in Ubuntu, starting with Ubuntu 13.10. The package was superseded by multiarch support so you don't need it any more, but some 64bit packages (which are actually 32bit applications) still depend on this package and because of this, they can't be installed in Ubuntu 14.04 or 13.10, 64bit. [...]

The "fix" or more specifically the correct way of installing these apps which depend on ia32-libs is to simply install the 32bit package on Ubuntu 64bit. Of course, that will install quite a few 32bit packages, but that's how multiarch works.

The problem with some programs (like Google Earth) is that the 32-bit package does not support multiarch. Consequently, some 32-bit dependencies need to be installed manually to make the 32-bit version of the program run on Ubuntu 64-bit.

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 # only needed once
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libfontconfig1:i386 libx11-6:i386 libxrender1:i386 libxext6:i386 libgl1-mesa-glx:i386 libglu1-mesa:i386 libglib2.0-0:i386 libsm6:i386

Engird

Answer 9

sudo -i
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d
echo "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise main restricted universe multiverse" >ia32-libs-raring.list
apt-get update
apt-get install ia32-libs
rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ia32-libs-raring.list
apt-get update
exit

If you are in China, you can modify "raring" to "precise" (for Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin), respectively). I installed Beyond Compare on Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr).

Opah

Answer 10

The problem is that in many cases the packages are multiarch already so the i386 package is not available, but other packages still depend on the i386 package only. This is a problem in the repository, and the managers of the repos should fix it

Fisherman

Answer 11

A solution is add the corresponding Debian package way to your repository. For this, type the below commands:

echo "deb ftp.us.debian.org/debian wheezy main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ia32-libs-i386

The first line writes in the end of the sources.list file the package way. This works for me. I wish that helps you.

Danedanegeld

deb f t p : / / f t p . u s .. etc , it's works, but didn't solve my problem( – Duax