Converting your package for multiarch
This page is intended to be a one-stop guide for converting library packages to Multiarch. If you find there are issues not documented here, please update this wiki page, or contact debian-devel@lists.debian.org for help.
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Why update your library package for multiarch support?
Now that multiarch support is available in the package manager (dpkg 1.16.0 and above; apt 0.8.12 and above), converting your runtime library package to Multi-Arch: same makes it possible for users to install your package for more than one architecture at the same time. This has several benefits:
If your library is currently bundled in ia32-libs, providing a multiarch package helps with the process of removing ia32-libs from the archive.
- If there is any software that uses your library which can only build in 32-bit mode, users will be able to install packages of that software directly on 64-bit systems without having to use dedicated chroots.
Users can use your library package with userspace emulators such as qemu without needing to use a dedicated chroot - making it easier to build environments that emulate only the parts that need emulating.
Although Debian policy currently doesn't allow -dev packages to be Multi-Arch: same, users may set up cross-build environments using only -dev packages for the target arch. Having your runtime library package built as Multi-Arch: same makes it easier to build software against your library in such an environment.