[svn r426] Put more DOxygen documentation.
1 Installation Instructions
2 *************************
4 Copyright (C) 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 Free
5 Software Foundation, Inc.
7 This file is free documentation; the Free Software Foundation gives
8 unlimited permission to copy, distribute and modify it.
13 These are generic installation instructions.
15 The `configure' shell script attempts to guess correct values for
16 various system-dependent variables used during compilation. It uses
17 those values to create a `Makefile' in each directory of the package.
18 It may also create one or more `.h' files containing system-dependent
19 definitions. Finally, it creates a shell script `config.status' that
20 you can run in the future to recreate the current configuration, and a
21 file `config.log' containing compiler output (useful mainly for
22 debugging `configure').
24 It can also use an optional file (typically called `config.cache'
25 and enabled with `--cache-file=config.cache' or simply `-C') that saves
26 the results of its tests to speed up reconfiguring. (Caching is
27 disabled by default to prevent problems with accidental use of stale
30 If you need to do unusual things to compile the package, please try
31 to figure out how `configure' could check whether to do them, and mail
32 diffs or instructions to the address given in the `README' so they can
33 be considered for the next release. If you are using the cache, and at
34 some point `config.cache' contains results you don't want to keep, you
35 may remove or edit it.
37 The file `configure.ac' (or `configure.in') is used to create
38 `configure' by a program called `autoconf'. You only need
39 `configure.ac' if you want to change it or regenerate `configure' using
40 a newer version of `autoconf'.
42 The simplest way to compile this package is:
44 1. `cd' to the directory containing the package's source code and type
45 `./configure' to configure the package for your system. If you're
46 using `csh' on an old version of System V, you might need to type
47 `sh ./configure' instead to prevent `csh' from trying to execute
50 Running `configure' takes awhile. While running, it prints some
51 messages telling which features it is checking for.
53 2. Type `make' to compile the package.
55 3. Optionally, type `make check' to run any self-tests that come with
58 4. Type `make install' to install the programs and any data files and
61 5. You can remove the program binaries and object files from the
62 source code directory by typing `make clean'. To also remove the
63 files that `configure' created (so you can compile the package for
64 a different kind of computer), type `make distclean'. There is
65 also a `make maintainer-clean' target, but that is intended mainly
66 for the package's developers. If you use it, you may have to get
67 all sorts of other programs in order to regenerate files that came
68 with the distribution.
73 Some systems require unusual options for compilation or linking that the
74 `configure' script does not know about. Run `./configure --help' for
75 details on some of the pertinent environment variables.
77 You can give `configure' initial values for configuration parameters
78 by setting variables in the command line or in the environment. Here
81 ./configure CC=c89 CFLAGS=-O2 LIBS=-lposix
83 *Note Defining Variables::, for more details.
85 Compiling For Multiple Architectures
86 ====================================
88 You can compile the package for more than one kind of computer at the
89 same time, by placing the object files for each architecture in their
90 own directory. To do this, you must use a version of `make' that
91 supports the `VPATH' variable, such as GNU `make'. `cd' to the
92 directory where you want the object files and executables to go and run
93 the `configure' script. `configure' automatically checks for the
94 source code in the directory that `configure' is in and in `..'.
96 If you have to use a `make' that does not support the `VPATH'
97 variable, you have to compile the package for one architecture at a
98 time in the source code directory. After you have installed the
99 package for one architecture, use `make distclean' before reconfiguring
100 for another architecture.
105 By default, `make install' installs the package's commands under
106 `/usr/local/bin', include files under `/usr/local/include', etc. You
107 can specify an installation prefix other than `/usr/local' by giving
108 `configure' the option `--prefix=PREFIX'.
110 You can specify separate installation prefixes for
111 architecture-specific files and architecture-independent files. If you
112 pass the option `--exec-prefix=PREFIX' to `configure', the package uses
113 PREFIX as the prefix for installing programs and libraries.
114 Documentation and other data files still use the regular prefix.
116 In addition, if you use an unusual directory layout you can give
117 options like `--bindir=DIR' to specify different values for particular
118 kinds of files. Run `configure --help' for a list of the directories
119 you can set and what kinds of files go in them.
121 If the package supports it, you can cause programs to be installed
122 with an extra prefix or suffix on their names by giving `configure' the
123 option `--program-prefix=PREFIX' or `--program-suffix=SUFFIX'.
128 Some packages pay attention to `--enable-FEATURE' options to
129 `configure', where FEATURE indicates an optional part of the package.
130 They may also pay attention to `--with-PACKAGE' options, where PACKAGE
131 is something like `gnu-as' or `x' (for the X Window System). The
132 `README' should mention any `--enable-' and `--with-' options that the
135 For packages that use the X Window System, `configure' can usually
136 find the X include and library files automatically, but if it doesn't,
137 you can use the `configure' options `--x-includes=DIR' and
138 `--x-libraries=DIR' to specify their locations.
140 Specifying the System Type
141 ==========================
143 There may be some features `configure' cannot figure out automatically,
144 but needs to determine by the type of machine the package will run on.
145 Usually, assuming the package is built to be run on the _same_
146 architectures, `configure' can figure that out, but if it prints a
147 message saying it cannot guess the machine type, give it the
148 `--build=TYPE' option. TYPE can either be a short name for the system
149 type, such as `sun4', or a canonical name which has the form:
153 where SYSTEM can have one of these forms:
157 See the file `config.sub' for the possible values of each field. If
158 `config.sub' isn't included in this package, then this package doesn't
159 need to know the machine type.
161 If you are _building_ compiler tools for cross-compiling, you should
162 use the option `--target=TYPE' to select the type of system they will
165 If you want to _use_ a cross compiler, that generates code for a
166 platform different from the build platform, you should specify the
167 "host" platform (i.e., that on which the generated programs will
168 eventually be run) with `--host=TYPE'.
173 If you want to set default values for `configure' scripts to share, you
174 can create a site shell script called `config.site' that gives default
175 values for variables like `CC', `cache_file', and `prefix'.
176 `configure' looks for `PREFIX/share/config.site' if it exists, then
177 `PREFIX/etc/config.site' if it exists. Or, you can set the
178 `CONFIG_SITE' environment variable to the location of the site script.
179 A warning: not all `configure' scripts look for a site script.
184 Variables not defined in a site shell script can be set in the
185 environment passed to `configure'. However, some packages may run
186 configure again during the build, and the customized values of these
187 variables may be lost. In order to avoid this problem, you should set
188 them in the `configure' command line, using `VAR=value'. For example:
190 ./configure CC=/usr/local2/bin/gcc
192 causes the specified `gcc' to be used as the C compiler (unless it is
193 overridden in the site shell script). Here is a another example:
195 /bin/bash ./configure CONFIG_SHELL=/bin/bash
197 Here the `CONFIG_SHELL=/bin/bash' operand causes subsequent
198 configuration-related scripts to be executed by `/bin/bash'.
200 `configure' Invocation
201 ======================
203 `configure' recognizes the following options to control how it operates.
207 Print a summary of the options to `configure', and exit.
211 Print the version of Autoconf used to generate the `configure'
215 Enable the cache: use and save the results of the tests in FILE,
216 traditionally `config.cache'. FILE defaults to `/dev/null' to
221 Alias for `--cache-file=config.cache'.
226 Do not print messages saying which checks are being made. To
227 suppress all normal output, redirect it to `/dev/null' (any error
228 messages will still be shown).
231 Look for the package's source code in directory DIR. Usually
232 `configure' can determine that directory automatically.
234 `configure' also accepts some other, not widely useful, options. Run
235 `configure --help' for more details.