I'm planning to host a web application on a 64-bit Dell server with 32 GB RAM. I'm planning to put Ubuntu 10.04 LTS there. The problem is, our web app uses a simulator, which could be compiled and run only in 32-bit mode. So, right now I'm thinking of two possible solutions:
- Install 32-bit Ubuntu -- the simulator would run happily, but resource utilization might not be optimal
- Install 64-bit OS; install another 32-bit Ubuntu virtual machine. Have Apache redirect from the main server to the "virtual" server.
I'd like to know about the pros and cons of these two techniques. In case there is some better alternative, I'd be glad to hear that.
I've already searched for the similar threads here, and found this to be closely related: Should I run 32 bit and 64 bit production applications on a 64 bit Debian server?
However, the solutions provided there couldn't satisfy me fully.
Finally, I must confess I don't have any knowledge on virtualization. Option #2 provided above is based on what I know about a system. However, I'm more than eager to learn about virtualization.