190 lines
6.3 KiB
Text
190 lines
6.3 KiB
Text
# $Source$
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# $State$
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Installing the ACK on a modern platform
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=======================================
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This document provides some very quick and dirty instructions for installing
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the ACK on a modern platform. It is not intended as a substitute for the
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real instructions, which can be found in doc/install.pr.
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Let me repeat myself:
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THE FULL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN doc/install.pr.
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The ACK is a very large and complex package and has received minimal
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maintenance for the best part of a decade. During that time, the Unix
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world has moved on, and many APIs have changed. It compiles cleanly on
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my, dtrg's, test machine, which is a Debian Ubuntu Linux system. Your
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mileage may vary.
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All disclaimers now done, now on to the good stuff:
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Building the ACK
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----------------
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I'm assuming you're using Linux here, because that's what I use. If you
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don't use Linux, please let me know if you have any trouble and I'll update
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the instructions.
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1. Prerequisites
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The ACK wants to be built with a C compiler called cc. From what I've seen
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so far of the build system, this can be changed, but not easily.
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Most platforms have their compiler set up so that 'cc' invokes it, whatever
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it is; however, some don't. So far the only one I've met that doesn't do
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this is Solaris with gcc installed, but without the Sun native compiler.
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If this is the case, the simplest thing to do is to place a symlink to gcc
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(or your favourite C compiler) in your path somewhere. For example:
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ln -s /usr/bin/gcc ~/bin/cc
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2. Configure the build.
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To do this, run the first/first script. You will be asked several
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questions.
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* What is the root of the ACK source tree?
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This is the directory that you have unpacked the distribution into.
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For example, /home/dg/src/Ack-5.6.
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* What is the root of the configuration tree?
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This is the directory that the build process will use for temporary
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files. You'll only need this during the compilation process; it can
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be removed afterwards.
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For example, /tmp/ack-conf
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* What is the root of the ACK binaries?
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This is the ACK's installation path; where the binaries will live.
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This needs to be writable during the build process --- if you want
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to install in /usr/local, you either have to make /usr/local
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writable or compile as root. Sorry!
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* What is your system type?
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Linux isn't on the list. Choose ANY.
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* Is this the system you are running on?
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Yes.
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* Are you satisfied?
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Yes.
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* What default machine do you wish to compile for?
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The ACK wants to know what architecture to target if you don't manually
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specify an architecture. Unfortunately, it can't generate runnable
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binaries for Linux or any other modern system (except possible Solaris
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on Sparc). I'd recommend you choose em44. This will produce portable
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binaries using the ACK's intermediate format, which you can run using
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the int interpreter.
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* What kind of Unix are you running?
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Linux is a mixture, but I pick SYS_5 and it works.
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* Do you wish to limit the installation?
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No. If you pick Yes, the script will ask detailed questions about
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exactly what you want to build. Modern systems are fast enough that
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we may as well build everything.
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* Which system call library do you wish to use on the VAX?
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I don't have a VAX; the only person I know who has one uses it to vacuum
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his carpets. I pick libsysV_2 with no ill effects.
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If the configuration script is happy, it will generate a script called
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INSTALL.
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3. Do the compilation.
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The configuration script will recommend a command line. Execute this. On
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modern systems, the compilation doesn't take long.
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Check the output of the configuration script for "Failed" lines. On my
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system there are two:
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$ grep Failed INSTALL.out
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Failed for Intel 8080 download programs, see dl/Out
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Failed for Intel 8080 support
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You can ignore these. They aren't important.
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4. Use the ACK.
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Ensure that the ACK's binary directory is on your path; this is /bin in
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the directory you specified during the configuration process. In my
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example, this is /usr/local/bin. The /man subdirectory should go on your
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manpath.
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To test your path, do: ack
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This should return silently.
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To test your manpath, do: man ack
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This will produce the documentation for the main compiler driver.
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If this works, you can remove the conf tree (/tmp/ack-conf in my example).
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Gotchas
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-------
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There are some things you should be aware of.
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* The ACK's archiver tool is called 'arch'. This conflicts on Linux platforms
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with a utility that displays the current architecture. If your compilation
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occasionally fails obscurely and displays something like 'i686', you are
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running afoul of this. As a workaround, rearrange your path so the ACK's
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bin directory comes first --- but do be aware that some Linux system
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tools may stop working.
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* By default, the ack tool will compile K&R C. Practically all C source these
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days is ANSI C --- use the -ansi switch to enable ANSI mode. No, the ACK is
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not C99 compatible.
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* Not all combinations of optimisation and architectures work. This is
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perfectly normal, but the combinations are not well documented. Everything
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supports -O.
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Disclaimer
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----------
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The ACK is mature, well-tested software, but the environment in which it was
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developed for and tested under is rather different from that available on
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today's machines. There will probably be little in the way of logical bugs,
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but there may be many compilation and API bugs.
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If you wish to use the ACK, *please* join the mailing list. We are interested
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in any reports of success and particularly, failure. If it does fail for you,
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we would love to know why, in as much detail as possible. Bug fixes are even
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more welcome.
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The ACK is licensed under a BSD-like license. Please see the 'Copyright' file
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for the full text.
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You can find the mailing list on the project's web site:
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http://tack.sourceforge.net/
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Please enjoy.
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David Given (dtrg on Sourceforge)
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dg@cowlark.com
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2005-06-24, 23:53
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# Revision history
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# $Log$
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# Revision 2.3 2006-07-18 17:21:34 dtrg
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# Added comment about the use of 'cc' rather than 'gcc'.
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#
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# Revision 2.2 2005/06/24 23:20:41 dtrg
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# Added some new readmes at the top level.
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