How compatible are different versions of glibc?

installation shared-libraries glibc binary-compatibility
Aaron Digulla picture Aaron Digulla · Jun 19, 2012 · Viewed 20.2k times · Source

Specifically:

  1. Is it assured somehow that all versions of glibc 2.x are binary compatible?

  2. If not, how can I run a binary (game) on my system which has been compiled for a different version? Can I install glibc in a different folder?

My specific problem is the compatibility between glibc 2.14 (what I have) and 2.15 (what the game wants).

I might also get a version for glibc 2.13 but I'm not sure if that will run on 2.14.

Answer

Kenneth Hoste picture Kenneth Hoste · Jun 19, 2012

In general, running binaries that were compiled for an older glibc version (e.g. 2.13) will run fine on a system with a newer glibc (e.g. 2.14, like your system).

Running a binary that was built for a newer glibc (e.g. 2.15, like the one that fails) on a system with an older glibc will probably not work.

In short, glibc is backward-compatible, not forward-compatible.

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