How compatible are different versions of glibc?

Question

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 1

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.

Answer 2

There are only minor binary compatibility issues between glibc 2.14 and glibc 2.15 according to the report from the Linux upstream tracker.

The report is generated by the abi-compliance-checker and abi-tracker tools.

See also https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/Testing/ABI_checker.

Answer 3

Please use ABI compliance checker for checking compatibility of libraries.