Compiling and running 32-bit Python on 64-bit server?

[Martin v. Loewis]

> How one could create 32-bit Python run-time enviroment, preferable
> virtualenv, on 64-bit Linux (VPS), reducing memory usage?

I'd install a 32-bit Linux on the hardware, and install a bigmem kernel
if it has more than 3GB of main memory.

> I assume this involves having lib32 libs and compiling Python with
> some magical switches.

The precise set of packages that you will need depends on the specific
Linux distribution. Check whether "gcc -m32" can build a hello-world
program. Then, set CC to "gcc -m32", and follow the build instructions
in Python's README file.

Regards,
Martin