Download template delivers armhf binaries although armel requested

[mw9]

I have just tried to build a container for Debian stretch armel:

lxc-create -n testlxcusr -f testlxcusr.conf -t download -- --dist debian --arch armel --release stretch

And I have been given armhf binaries, which is puzzling:

You just created a Debian stretch armhf (20190617_05:24) container.

And it would seem to be so:

readelf -h testlxcusr/rootfs/bin/tar|grep Flags
  Flags:                             0x5000400, Version5 EABI, hard-float ABI

Here's a trace from the executing template which suggests that it was looking in the right place for armel binaries:

wget_wrapper -T 30 -q https://images.linuxcontainers.org//images/debian/stretch/armel/default/20190617_05:24//meta.tar.xz.asc -O /tmp/tmp.uKsle76i5a/meta.tar.xz.asc

So - is there something amiss with the build process ? Or should I have done something differently to get hold of the armel build ?

LXC version is 2.0.7.

Top section of the generated config:

# Template used to create this container: /usr/share/lxc/templates/lxc-download
# Parameters passed to the template: -d debian -a armel -r stretch
# Template script checksum (SHA-1): 740c51206e35463362b735e68b867876048a8baf
# For additional config options, please look at lxc.container.conf(5)

# Uncomment the following line to support nesting containers:
#lxc.include = /usr/share/lxc/config/nesting.conf
# (Be aware this has security implications)


# Distribution configuration
lxc.include = /usr/share/lxc/config/debian.common.conf
lxc.include = /usr/share/lxc/config/debian.userns.conf
lxc.arch = linux32

The config file I gave it:

lxc.network.type = veth
#lxc.network.flags = up
lxc.network.link = br0
lxc.network.hwaddr = fe:06:ae:7f:c6:38

lxc.id_map = u 0 100000 65536
lxc.id_map = g 0 100000 65536

[stgraber]

Moving to distrobuilder as I think I've tracked down the issue to the logic we have to translate between architecture names. As armel is a userspace name with the kernel name being the same for armel and armhf, we incorrectly remap armel requests to armhf...

I sent a somewhat ugly fix which special cases armel and skips the translation in such cases.

[mw9]

The lxc-debian template also seems to fail in its host 'auto-detection' which was a puzzle until I learned to explicitly feed it with --arch armel. Perhaps similar issues.

lxc-debian uses arch=$(uname -m) to set hostarch, but doesn't seem to "fix it up".

FWIW, on this Debianized armel box:

uname -m;uname -s
armv5tel
Linux

I don't have a Debianized armhf box. The RaspberryPi, which I think is perhaps a mostly Debianized box, and needs --arch armhf, gives:

uname -m;uname -s
armv6l
Linux

There are other variants, I have an armv5tejl somewhere.

I suppose dpkg --print-architecture might give the definitive userspace name on a debian/debian_derived box, if it is installed.

[mw9]

Thanks, armel binaries now arriving, as expected.