How to access all my memory?

I just installed linuxCNC on a computer that will be pretty much solely devoted to running my machine. This box was my old work and CAD computer and it has 32 GB memory. I know that's overkill for this but I would like to be able to use it, especially more that the measly 3GB I have access to now.
I have read the common solution to this is install a PAE enabled kernel. Is that going to cause issues with linuxCNC or is that what I should do?
If that won't work then what should I do?
I read a thread about people working on a 64 bit version. Is that something that can be done without too much trouble?

Hi

The short answer is that you can't and you don't need to.

Linuxcnc is a 32 bit application which requires a special 32bit RTAI kernel. It will run perfectly well with just 1GB of RAM and as well as it is ever going to, with the maximum 3.25GB RAM which a 32 bit system can access.

Adding another 28.75GB will not make it run any better and Linuxcnc is not written to take advantage of extended registers etc. so having a 64 bit kernel would be no advantage either.

A forum member was trying to compile a 64 bit RTAI kernel and build Linuxcnc against it. I don't know if he succeeded, but it certainly was not something that can be done without too much trouble.

regards