5 @node Installation, Maintenance, Library Summary, Top
8 @c %MENU% How to install the GNU C Library
9 @appendix Installing @theglibc{}
11 Before you do anything else, you should read the FAQ at
12 @url{https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/FAQ}. It answers common
13 questions and describes problems you may experience with compilation
16 You will need recent versions of several GNU tools: definitely GCC and
17 GNU Make, and possibly others. @xref{Tools for Compilation}, below.
21 * Configuring and compiling:: How to compile and test GNU libc.
22 * Running make install:: How to install it once you've got it
24 * Tools for Compilation:: You'll need these first.
25 * Linux:: Specific advice for GNU/Linux systems.
26 * Reporting Bugs:: So they'll get fixed.
30 @node Configuring and compiling
31 @appendixsec Configuring and compiling @theglibc{}
35 @Theglibc{} cannot be compiled in the source directory. You must build
36 it in a separate build directory. For example, if you have unpacked
37 the @glibcadj{} sources in @file{/src/gnu/glibc-@var{version}},
39 @file{/src/gnu/glibc-build} to put the object files in. This allows
40 removing the whole build directory in case an error occurs, which is
41 the safest way to get a fresh start and should always be done.
43 From your object directory, run the shell script @file{configure} located
44 at the top level of the source tree. In the scenario above, you'd type
47 $ ../glibc-@var{version}/configure @var{args@dots{}}
50 Please note that even though you're building in a separate build
51 directory, the compilation may need to create or modify files and
52 directories in the source directory.
55 @code{configure} takes many options, but the only one that is usually
56 mandatory is @samp{--prefix}. This option tells @code{configure}
57 where you want @theglibc{} installed. This defaults to @file{/usr/local},
58 but the normal setting to install as the standard system library is
59 @samp{--prefix=/usr} for @gnulinuxsystems{} and @samp{--prefix=} (an
60 empty prefix) for @gnuhurdsystems{}.
62 It may also be useful to pass @samp{CC=@var{compiler}} and
63 @code{CFLAGS=@var{flags}} arguments to @code{configure}. @code{CC}
64 selects the C compiler that will be used, and @code{CFLAGS} sets
65 optimization options for the compiler. Any compiler options required
66 for all compilations, such as options selecting an ABI or a processor
67 for which to generate code, should be included in @code{CC}. Options
68 that may be overridden by the @glibcadj{} build system for particular
69 files, such as for optimization and debugging, should go in
70 @code{CFLAGS}. The default value of @code{CFLAGS} is @samp{-g -O2},
71 and @theglibc{} cannot be compiled without optimization, so if
72 @code{CFLAGS} is specified it must enable optimization. For example:
75 $ ../glibc-@var{version}/configure CC="gcc -m32" CFLAGS="-O3"
78 The following list describes all of the available options for
82 @item --prefix=@var{directory}
83 Install machine-independent data files in subdirectories of
84 @file{@var{directory}}. The default is to install in @file{/usr/local}.
86 @item --exec-prefix=@var{directory}
87 Install the library and other machine-dependent files in subdirectories
88 of @file{@var{directory}}. The default is to the @samp{--prefix}
89 directory if that option is specified, or @file{/usr/local} otherwise.
91 @item --with-headers=@var{directory}
92 Look for kernel header files in @var{directory}, not
93 @file{/usr/include}. @Theglibc{} needs information from the kernel's header
94 files describing the interface to the kernel. @Theglibc{} will normally
95 look in @file{/usr/include} for them,
96 but if you specify this option, it will look in @var{DIRECTORY} instead.
98 This option is primarily of use on a system where the headers in
99 @file{/usr/include} come from an older version of @theglibc{}. Conflicts can
100 occasionally happen in this case. You can also use this option if you want to
101 compile @theglibc{} with a newer set of kernel headers than the ones found in
104 @item --enable-kernel=@var{version}
105 This option is currently only useful on @gnulinuxsystems{}. The
106 @var{version} parameter should have the form X.Y.Z and describes the
107 smallest version of the Linux kernel the generated library is expected
108 to support. The higher the @var{version} number is, the less
109 compatibility code is added, and the faster the code gets.
111 @item --with-binutils=@var{directory}
112 Use the binutils (assembler and linker) in @file{@var{directory}}, not
113 the ones the C compiler would default to. You can use this option if
114 the default binutils on your system cannot deal with all the constructs
115 in @theglibc{}. In that case, @code{configure} will detect the
116 problem and suppress these constructs, so that the library will still be
117 usable, but functionality may be lost---for example, you can't build a
118 shared libc with old binutils.
120 @item --with-nonshared-cflags=@var{cflags}
121 Use additional compiler flags @var{cflags} to build the parts of the
122 library which are always statically linked into applications and
123 libraries even with shared linking (that is, the object files contained
124 in @file{lib*_nonshared.a} libraries). The build process will
125 automatically use the appropriate flags, but this option can be used to
126 set additional flags required for building applications and libraries,
127 to match local policy. For example, if such a policy requires that all
128 code linked into applications must be built with source fortification,
129 @samp{--with-nonshared-cflags=-Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2} will make sure
130 that the objects in @file{libc_nonshared.a} are compiled with this flag
131 (although this will not affect the generated code in this particular
132 case and potentially change debugging information and metadata only).
134 @c disable static doesn't work currently
135 @c @item --disable-static
136 @c Don't build static libraries. Static libraries aren't that useful these
137 @c days, but we recommend you build them in case you need them.
139 @item --disable-shared
140 Don't build shared libraries even if it is possible. Not all systems
141 support shared libraries; you need ELF support and (currently) the GNU
144 @item --enable-static-pie
145 Enable static position independent executable (static PIE) support.
146 Static PIE is similar to static executable, but can be loaded at any
147 address without help from a dynamic linker. All static programs as
148 well as static tests are built as static PIE, except for those marked
149 with no-pie. The resulting glibc can be used with the GCC option,
150 -static-pie, which is available with GCC 8 or above, to create static
151 PIE. This option also implies that glibc programs and tests are created
152 as dynamic position independent executables (PIE) by default.
155 Enable Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) support. When
156 @theglibc{} is built with @option{--enable-cet}, the resulting library
157 is protected with indirect branch tracking (IBT) and shadow stack
158 (SHSTK)@. When CET is enabled, @theglibc{} is compatible with all
159 existing executables and shared libraries. This feature is currently
160 supported on i386, x86_64 and x32 with GCC 8 and binutils 2.29 or later.
161 Note that when CET is enabled, @theglibc{} requires CPUs capable of
162 multi-byte NOPs, like x86-64 processors as well as Intel Pentium Pro or
165 NOTE: @option{--enable-cet} has been tested for i686, x86_64 and x32
166 on non-CET processors. @option{--enable-cet} has been tested for
167 x86_64 and x32 on CET SDVs, but Intel CET support hasn't been validated
170 @item --disable-profile
171 Don't build libraries with profiling information. You may want to use
172 this option if you don't plan to do profiling.
174 @item --enable-static-nss
175 Compile static versions of the NSS (Name Service Switch) libraries.
176 This is not recommended because it defeats the purpose of NSS; a program
177 linked statically with the NSS libraries cannot be dynamically
178 reconfigured to use a different name database.
180 @item --enable-hardcoded-path-in-tests
181 By default, dynamic tests are linked to run with the installed C library.
182 This option hardcodes the newly built C library path in dynamic tests
183 so that they can be invoked directly.
185 @item --disable-timezone-tools
186 By default, timezone related utilities (@command{zic}, @command{zdump},
187 and @command{tzselect}) are installed with @theglibc{}. If you are building
188 these independently (e.g. by using the @samp{tzcode} package), then this
189 option will allow disabling the install of these.
191 Note that you need to make sure the external tools are kept in sync with
192 the versions that @theglibc{} expects as the data formats may change over
193 time. Consult the @file{timezone} subdirectory for more details.
195 @item --enable-stack-protector
196 @itemx --enable-stack-protector=strong
197 @itemx --enable-stack-protector=all
198 Compile the C library and all other parts of the glibc package
199 (including the threading and math libraries, NSS modules, and
200 transliteration modules) using the GCC @option{-fstack-protector},
201 @option{-fstack-protector-strong} or @option{-fstack-protector-all}
202 options to detect stack overruns. Only the dynamic linker and a small
203 number of routines called directly from assembler are excluded from this
206 @item --enable-bind-now
207 Disable lazy binding for installed shared objects and programs. This
208 provides additional security hardening because it enables full RELRO
209 and a read-only global offset table (GOT), at the cost of slightly
210 increased program load times.
214 @item --enable-pt_chown
215 The file @file{pt_chown} is a helper binary for @code{grantpt}
216 (@pxref{Allocation, Pseudo-Terminals}) that is installed setuid root to
217 fix up pseudo-terminal ownership. It is not built by default because
218 systems using the Linux kernel are commonly built with the @code{devpts}
219 filesystem enabled and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, which manages
220 pseudo-terminal ownership automatically. By using
221 @samp{--enable-pt_chown}, you may build @file{pt_chown} and install it
222 setuid and owned by @code{root}. The use of @file{pt_chown} introduces
223 additional security risks to the system and you should enable it only if
224 you understand and accept those risks.
226 @item --disable-werror
227 By default, @theglibc{} is built with @option{-Werror}. If you wish
228 to build without this option (for example, if building with a newer
229 version of GCC than this version of @theglibc{} was tested with, so
230 new warnings cause the build with @option{-Werror} to fail), you can
231 configure with @option{--disable-werror}.
233 @item --disable-mathvec
234 By default for x86_64, @theglibc{} is built with the vector math library.
235 Use this option to disable the vector math library.
237 @item --enable-tunables
238 Tunables support allows additional library parameters to be customized at
239 runtime. This feature is enabled by default. This option can take the
244 This is the default if no option is passed to configure. This enables tunables
245 and selects the default frontend (currently @samp{valstring}).
248 This option disables tunables.
251 This enables tunables and selects the @samp{valstring} frontend for tunables.
252 This frontend allows users to specify tunables as a colon-separated list in a
253 single environment variable @env{GLIBC_TUNABLES}.
256 @item --enable-obsolete-nsl
257 By default, libnsl is only built as shared library for backward
258 compatibility and the NSS modules libnss_compat, libnss_nis and
259 libnss_nisplus are not built at all.
260 Use this option to enable libnsl with all depending NSS modules and
262 For architectures and ABIs that have been added after version 2.28 of
263 @theglibc{} this option is not available, and the libnsl compatibility
264 library is not built.
266 @item --disable-crypt
267 Do not install the passphrase-hashing library @file{libcrypt} or the
268 header file @file{crypt.h}. @file{unistd.h} will still declare the
269 function @code{crypt}. Using this option does not change the set of
270 programs that may need to be linked with @option{-lcrypt}; it only
271 means that @theglibc{} will not provide that library.
273 This option is for hackers and distributions experimenting with
274 independently-maintained implementations of libcrypt. It may become
275 the default in a future release.
277 @item --disable-experimental-malloc
278 By default, a per-thread cache is enabled in @code{malloc}. While
279 this cache can be disabled on a per-application basis using tunables
280 (set glibc.malloc.tcache_count to zero), this option can be used to
281 remove it from the build completely.
283 @item --build=@var{build-system}
284 @itemx --host=@var{host-system}
285 These options are for cross-compiling. If you specify both options and
286 @var{build-system} is different from @var{host-system}, @code{configure}
287 will prepare to cross-compile @theglibc{} from @var{build-system} to be used
288 on @var{host-system}. You'll probably need the @samp{--with-headers}
289 option too, and you may have to override @var{configure}'s selection of
290 the compiler and/or binutils.
292 If you only specify @samp{--host}, @code{configure} will prepare for a
293 native compile but use what you specify instead of guessing what your
294 system is. This is most useful to change the CPU submodel. For example,
295 if @code{configure} guesses your machine as @code{i686-pc-linux-gnu} but
296 you want to compile a library for 586es, give
297 @samp{--host=i586-pc-linux-gnu} or just @samp{--host=i586-linux} and add
298 the appropriate compiler flags (@samp{-mcpu=i586} will do the trick) to
301 If you specify just @samp{--build}, @code{configure} will get confused.
303 @item --with-pkgversion=@var{version}
304 Specify a description, possibly including a build number or build
305 date, of the binaries being built, to be included in
306 @option{--version} output from programs installed with @theglibc{}.
307 For example, @option{--with-pkgversion='FooBar GNU/Linux glibc build
308 123'}. The default value is @samp{GNU libc}.
310 @item --with-bugurl=@var{url}
311 Specify the URL that users should visit if they wish to report a bug,
312 to be included in @option{--help} output from programs installed with
313 @theglibc{}. The default value refers to the main bug-reporting
314 information for @theglibc{}.
317 To build the library and related programs, type @code{make}. This will
318 produce a lot of output, some of which may look like errors from
319 @code{make} but aren't. Look for error messages from @code{make}
320 containing @samp{***}. Those indicate that something is seriously wrong.
322 The compilation process can take a long time, depending on the
323 configuration and the speed of your machine. Some complex modules may
324 take a very long time to compile, as much as several minutes on slower
325 machines. Do not panic if the compiler appears to hang.
327 If you want to run a parallel make, simply pass the @samp{-j} option
328 with an appropriate numeric parameter to @code{make}. You need a recent
329 GNU @code{make} version, though.
331 To build and run test programs which exercise some of the library
332 facilities, type @code{make check}. If it does not complete
333 successfully, do not use the built library, and report a bug after
334 verifying that the problem is not already known. @xref{Reporting Bugs},
335 for instructions on reporting bugs. Note that some of the tests assume
336 they are not being run by @code{root}. We recommend you compile and
337 test @theglibc{} as an unprivileged user.
339 Before reporting bugs make sure there is no problem with your system.
340 The tests (and later installation) use some pre-existing files of the
341 system such as @file{/etc/passwd}, @file{/etc/nsswitch.conf} and others.
342 These files must all contain correct and sensible content.
344 Normally, @code{make check} will run all the tests before reporting
345 all problems found and exiting with error status if any problems
346 occurred. You can specify @samp{stop-on-test-failure=y} when running
347 @code{make check} to make the test run stop and exit with an error
348 status immediately when a failure occurs.
350 To format the @cite{GNU C Library Reference Manual} for printing, type
351 @w{@code{make dvi}}. You need a working @TeX{} installation to do
352 this. The distribution builds the on-line formatted version of the
353 manual, as Info files, as part of the build process. You can build
354 them manually with @w{@code{make info}}.
356 The library has a number of special-purpose configuration parameters
357 which you can find in @file{Makeconfig}. These can be overwritten with
358 the file @file{configparms}. To change them, create a
359 @file{configparms} in your build directory and add values as appropriate
360 for your system. The file is included and parsed by @code{make} and has
361 to follow the conventions for makefiles.
363 It is easy to configure @theglibc{} for cross-compilation by
364 setting a few variables in @file{configparms}. Set @code{CC} to the
365 cross-compiler for the target you configured the library for; it is
366 important to use this same @code{CC} value when running
367 @code{configure}, like this: @samp{configure @var{target}
368 CC=@var{target}-gcc}. Set @code{BUILD_CC} to the compiler to use for programs
369 run on the build system as part of compiling the library. You may need to
370 set @code{AR} to cross-compiling versions of @code{ar}
371 if the native tools are not configured to work with
372 object files for the target you configured for. When cross-compiling
373 @theglibc{}, it may be tested using @samp{make check
374 test-wrapper="@var{srcdir}/scripts/cross-test-ssh.sh @var{hostname}"},
375 where @var{srcdir} is the absolute directory name for the main source
376 directory and @var{hostname} is the host name of a system that can run
377 the newly built binaries of @theglibc{}. The source and build
378 directories must be visible at the same locations on both the build
379 system and @var{hostname}.
381 In general, when testing @theglibc{}, @samp{test-wrapper} may be set
382 to the name and arguments of any program to run newly built binaries.
383 This program must preserve the arguments to the binary being run, its
384 working directory and the standard input, output and error file
385 descriptors. If @samp{@var{test-wrapper} env} will not work to run a
386 program with environment variables set, then @samp{test-wrapper-env}
387 must be set to a program that runs a newly built program with
388 environment variable assignments in effect, those assignments being
389 specified as @samp{@var{var}=@var{value}} before the name of the
390 program to be run. If multiple assignments to the same variable are
391 specified, the last assignment specified must take precedence.
392 Similarly, if @samp{@var{test-wrapper} env -i} will not work to run a
393 program with an environment completely empty of variables except those
394 directly assigned, then @samp{test-wrapper-env-only} must be set; its
395 use has the same syntax as @samp{test-wrapper-env}, the only
396 difference in its semantics being starting with an empty set of
397 environment variables rather than the ambient set.
400 @node Running make install
401 @appendixsec Installing the C Library
404 To install the library and its header files, and the Info files of the
405 manual, type @code{make install}. This will
406 build things, if necessary, before installing them; however, you should
407 still compile everything first. If you are installing @theglibc{} as your
408 primary C library, we recommend that you shut the system down to
409 single-user mode first, and reboot afterward. This minimizes the risk
410 of breaking things when the library changes out from underneath.
412 @samp{make install} will do the entire job of upgrading from a
413 previous installation of @theglibc{} version 2.x. There may sometimes
415 left behind from the previous installation, but those are generally
416 harmless. If you want to avoid leaving headers behind you can do
417 things in the following order.
419 You must first build the library (@samp{make}), optionally check it
420 (@samp{make check}), switch the include directories and then install
421 (@samp{make install}). The steps must be done in this order. Not moving
422 the directory before install will result in an unusable mixture of header
423 files from both libraries, but configuring, building, and checking the
424 library requires the ability to compile and run programs against the old
425 library. The new @file{/usr/include}, after switching the include
426 directories and before installing the library should contain the Linux
427 headers, but nothing else. If you do this, you will need to restore
428 any headers from libraries other than @theglibc{} yourself after installing the
431 You can install @theglibc{} somewhere other than where you configured
432 it to go by setting the @code{DESTDIR} GNU standard make variable on
433 the command line for @samp{make install}. The value of this variable
434 is prepended to all the paths for installation. This is useful when
435 setting up a chroot environment or preparing a binary distribution.
436 The directory should be specified with an absolute file name. Installing
437 with the @code{prefix} and @code{exec_prefix} GNU standard make variables
438 set is not supported.
440 @Theglibc{} includes a daemon called @code{nscd}, which you
441 may or may not want to run. @code{nscd} caches name service lookups; it
442 can dramatically improve performance with NIS+, and may help with DNS as
445 One auxiliary program, @file{/usr/libexec/pt_chown}, is installed setuid
446 @code{root} if the @samp{--enable-pt_chown} configuration option is used.
447 This program is invoked by the @code{grantpt} function; it sets the
448 permissions on a pseudoterminal so it can be used by the calling process.
449 If you are using a Linux kernel with the @code{devpts} filesystem enabled
450 and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, you don't need this program.
452 After installation you should configure the timezone and install locales
453 for your system. The time zone configuration ensures that your system
454 time matches the time for your current timezone. The locales ensure that
455 the display of information on your system matches the expectations of
456 your language and geographic region.
458 @Theglibc{} is able to use two kinds of localization information sources, the
459 first is a locale database named @file{locale-archive} which is generally
460 installed as @file{/usr/lib/locale/locale-archive}. The locale archive has the
461 benefit of taking up less space and being very fast to load, but only if you
462 plan to install sixty or more locales. If you plan to install one or two
463 locales you can instead install individual locales into their self-named
464 directories e.g.@: @file{/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8}. For example to install
465 the German locale using the character set for UTF-8 with name @code{de_DE} into
466 the locale archive issue the command @samp{localedef -i de_DE -f UTF-8 de_DE},
467 and to install just the one locale issue the command @samp{localedef
468 --no-archive -i de_DE -f UTF-8 de_DE}. To configure all locales that are
469 supported by @theglibc{}, you can issue from your build directory the command
470 @samp{make localedata/install-locales} to install all locales into the locale
471 archive or @samp{make localedata/install-locale-files} to install all locales
472 as files in the default configured locale installation directory (derived from
473 @samp{--prefix} or @code{--localedir}). To install into an alternative system
474 root use @samp{DESTDIR} e.g.@: @samp{make localedata/install-locale-files
475 DESTDIR=/opt/glibc}, but note that this does not change the configured prefix.
477 To configure the locally used timezone, set the @code{TZ} environment
478 variable. The script @code{tzselect} helps you to select the right value.
479 As an example, for Germany, @code{tzselect} would tell you to use
480 @samp{TZ='Europe/Berlin'}. For a system wide installation (the given
481 paths are for an installation with @samp{--prefix=/usr}), link the
482 timezone file which is in @file{/usr/share/zoneinfo} to the file
483 @file{/etc/localtime}. For Germany, you might execute @samp{ln -s
484 /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin /etc/localtime}.
486 @node Tools for Compilation
487 @appendixsec Recommended Tools for Compilation
488 @cindex installation tools
489 @cindex tools, for installing library
491 We recommend installing the following GNU tools before attempting to
496 GNU @code{make} 4.0 or newer
498 As of relase time, GNU @code{make} 4.2.1 is the newest verified to work
499 to build @theglibc{}.
504 GCC 6.2 or higher is required. In general it is recommended to use
505 the newest version of the compiler that is known to work for building
506 @theglibc{}, as newer compilers usually produce better code. As of
507 release time, GCC 9.1.1 is the newest compiler verified to work to build
510 For multi-arch support it is recommended to use a GCC which has been built with
511 support for GNU indirect functions. This ensures that correct debugging
512 information is generated for functions selected by IFUNC resolvers. This
513 support can either be enabled by configuring GCC with
514 @samp{--enable-gnu-indirect-function}, or by enabling it by default by setting
515 @samp{default_gnu_indirect_function} variable for a particular architecture in
516 the GCC source file @file{gcc/config.gcc}.
518 You can use whatever compiler you like to compile programs that use
521 Check the FAQ for any special compiler issues on particular platforms.
524 GNU @code{binutils} 2.25 or later
526 You must use GNU @code{binutils} (as and ld) to build @theglibc{}.
527 No other assembler or linker has the necessary functionality at the
528 moment. As of release time, GNU @code{binutils} 2.31.1 is the newest
529 verified to work to build @theglibc{}.
532 GNU @code{texinfo} 4.7 or later
534 To correctly translate and install the Texinfo documentation you need
535 this version of the @code{texinfo} package. Earlier versions do not
536 understand all the tags used in the document, and the installation
537 mechanism for the info files is not present or works differently.
538 As of release time, @code{texinfo} 6.6 is the newest verified to work
539 to build @theglibc{}.
542 GNU @code{awk} 3.1.2, or higher
544 @code{awk} is used in several places to generate files.
545 Some @code{gawk} extensions are used, including the @code{asorti}
546 function, which was introduced in version 3.1.2 of @code{gawk}.
547 As of release time, @code{gawk} version 4.2.1 is the newest verified
548 to work to build @theglibc{}.
551 GNU @code{bison} 2.7 or later
553 @code{bison} is used to generate the @code{yacc} parser code in the @file{intl}
554 subdirectory. As of release time, @code{bison} version 3.0.5 is the newest
555 verified to work to build @theglibc{}.
560 Perl is not required, but if present it is used in some tests and the
561 @code{mtrace} program, to build the @glibcadj{} manual. As of release
562 time @code{perl} version 5.28.2 is the newest verified to work to
566 GNU @code{sed} 3.02 or newer
568 @code{Sed} is used in several places to generate files. Most scripts work
569 with any version of @code{sed}. As of release time, @code{sed} version
570 4.5 is the newest verified to work to build @theglibc{}.
575 Python is required to build @theglibc{}. As of release time, Python
576 3.7.4 is the newest verified to work for building and testing
581 The pretty printer tests drive GDB through test programs and compare
582 its output to the printers'. PExpect is used to capture the output of
583 GDB, and should be compatible with the Python version in your system.
584 As of release time PExpect 4.3 is the newest verified to work to test
588 GDB 7.8 or later with support for Python 2.7/3.4 or later
590 GDB itself needs to be configured with Python support in order to use
591 the pretty printers. Notice that your system having Python available
592 doesn't imply that GDB supports it, nor that your system's Python and
593 GDB's have the same version. As of release time GNU @code{debugger}
594 8.3 is the newest verified to work to test the pretty printers.
596 Unless Python, PExpect and GDB with Python support are present, the
597 printer tests will report themselves as @code{UNSUPPORTED}. Notice
598 that some of the printer tests require @theglibc{} to be compiled with
603 If you change any of the @file{configure.ac} files you will also need
607 GNU @code{autoconf} 2.69 (exactly)
611 and if you change any of the message translation files you will need
615 GNU @code{gettext} 0.10.36 or later
617 As of release time, GNU @code{gettext} version 0.19.8.1 is the newest
618 version verified to work to build @theglibc{}.
623 You may also need these packages if you upgrade your source tree using
624 patches, although we try to avoid this.
627 @appendixsec Specific advice for @gnulinuxsystems{}
628 @cindex kernel header files
630 If you are installing @theglibc{} on @gnulinuxsystems{}, you need to have
631 the header files from a 3.2 or newer kernel around for reference.
632 (For the ia64 architecture, you need version 3.2.18 or newer because this
633 is the first version with support for the @code{accept4} system call.)
634 These headers must be installed using @samp{make headers_install}; the
635 headers present in the kernel source directory are not suitable for
636 direct use by @theglibc{}. You do not need to use that kernel, just have
637 its headers installed where @theglibc{} can access them, referred to here as
638 @var{install-directory}. The easiest way to do this is to unpack it
639 in a directory such as @file{/usr/src/linux-@var{version}}. In that
640 directory, run @samp{make headers_install
641 INSTALL_HDR_PATH=@var{install-directory}}. Finally, configure @theglibc{}
642 with the option @samp{--with-headers=@var{install-directory}/include}.
643 Use the most recent kernel you can get your hands on. (If you are
644 cross-compiling @theglibc{}, you need to specify
645 @samp{ARCH=@var{architecture}} in the @samp{make headers_install}
646 command, where @var{architecture} is the architecture name used by the
647 Linux kernel, such as @samp{x86} or @samp{powerpc}.)
649 After installing @theglibc{}, you may need to remove or rename
650 directories such as @file{/usr/include/linux} and
651 @file{/usr/include/asm}, and replace them with copies of directories
652 such as @file{linux} and @file{asm} from
653 @file{@var{install-directory}/include}. All directories present in
654 @file{@var{install-directory}/include} should be copied, except that
655 @theglibc{} provides its own version of @file{/usr/include/scsi}; the
656 files provided by the kernel should be copied without replacing those
657 provided by @theglibc{}. The @file{linux}, @file{asm} and
658 @file{asm-generic} directories are required to compile programs using
659 @theglibc{}; the other directories describe interfaces to the kernel but
660 are not required if not compiling programs using those interfaces.
661 You do not need to copy kernel headers if you did not specify an
662 alternate kernel header source using @samp{--with-headers}.
664 The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard for @gnulinuxsystems{} expects some
665 components of the @glibcadj{} installation to be in
666 @file{/lib} and some in @file{/usr/lib}. This is handled automatically
667 if you configure @theglibc{} with @samp{--prefix=/usr}. If you set some other
668 prefix or allow it to default to @file{/usr/local}, then all the
669 components are installed there.
672 @appendixsec Reporting Bugs
673 @cindex reporting bugs
674 @cindex bugs, reporting
676 There are probably bugs in @theglibc{}. There are certainly
677 errors and omissions in this manual. If you report them, they will get
678 fixed. If you don't, no one will ever know about them and they will
679 remain unfixed for all eternity, if not longer.
681 It is a good idea to verify that the problem has not already been
682 reported. Bugs are documented in two places: The file @file{BUGS}
683 describes a number of well known bugs and the central @glibcadj{}
684 bug tracking system has a
686 @url{https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/}. The WWW
687 interface gives you access to open and closed reports. A closed report
688 normally includes a patch or a hint on solving the problem.
690 To report a bug, first you must find it. With any luck, this will be the
691 hard part. Once you've found a bug, make sure it's really a bug. A
692 good way to do this is to see if @theglibc{} behaves the same way
693 some other C library does. If so, probably you are wrong and the
694 libraries are right (but not necessarily). If not, one of the libraries
695 is probably wrong. It might not be @theglibc{}. Many historical
696 Unix C libraries permit things that we don't, such as closing a file
699 If you think you have found some way in which @theglibc{} does not
700 conform to the ISO and POSIX standards (@pxref{Standards and
701 Portability}), that is definitely a bug. Report it!
703 Once you're sure you've found a bug, try to narrow it down to the
704 smallest test case that reproduces the problem. In the case of a C
705 library, you really only need to narrow it down to one library
706 function call, if possible. This should not be too difficult.
708 The final step when you have a simple test case is to report the bug.
709 Do this at @value{REPORT_BUGS_TO}.
711 If you are not sure how a function should behave, and this manual
712 doesn't tell you, that's a bug in the manual. Report that too! If the
713 function's behavior disagrees with the manual, then either the library
714 or the manual has a bug, so report the disagreement. If you find any
715 errors or omissions in this manual, please report them to the
716 bug database. If you refer to specific
717 sections of the manual, please include the section names for easier