I am trying to compile (with gcc) a C program on a CentOS 5 machine. The resulting executable shows that it is loading shared libraries from /lib64:
ldd <my executable>
libpthread.so.0 => /lib64/libpthread.so.0 (0x00000035ea800000)
libpcap.so.0.9.4 => /usr/lib64/libpcap.so.0.9.4 (0x00002aaaaaac5000)
libc.so.6 => /lib64/libc.so.6 (0x00000035e9c00000)
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x0000555555554000)

A previously installed version of the software I am trying to compile shows:
linux-gate.so.1 => (0xffffe000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0x00526000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x003e4000)
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x56555000)

Why is my newly compiled exe pointing to /lib64? The libs in those directory are different from the ones in /lib which is causing me problems interacting with existing software which is using libs under /lib.
How can I make my executable use /lib instead of /lib64?

Thanks.

Compile it for 32 bit not 64.

Do:
Quote:
Do you by any chance see
"ELF 64-bit LSB executable, ..."
"ELF 32-bit LSB executable, ..."

You are compiling on a 64-bit system, where the default is to complie 64-bit binaries, which link to 64-bit libraries. The old binary has been compiled as 32-bit and naturally links to 32-bit libraries.

On a 64-bit CentOS installation the 64-bit libraries are in /lib64 and the 32-bit libraries are in /lib. The 32-bit libraries are needed only for executing 32-bit binaries. The libraries are not really different in functionality, but the 64-bit are "native" and the 32-bit kind of wrappers that let a 32-bit binary to execute in 64-bit system.

If you really want, you probably can pass "-m32" flag to the compiler but in my opinion you shouldn't, unless the same binary has to be run in a 32-bit OS.