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{http://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/FAQ}. It answers common
13 questions and describes problems you may experience with compilation
16 Features can be added to @theglibc{} via @dfn{add-on} bundles. These are
17 separate tar files, which you unpack into the top level of the source
18 tree. Then you give @code{configure} the @samp{--enable-add-ons} option
19 to activate them, and they will be compiled into the library.
21 You will need recent versions of several GNU tools: definitely GCC and
22 GNU Make, and possibly others. @xref{Tools for Compilation}, below.
26 * Configuring and compiling:: How to compile and test GNU libc.
27 * Running make install:: How to install it once you've got it
29 * Tools for Compilation:: You'll need these first.
30 * Linux:: Specific advice for GNU/Linux systems.
31 * Reporting Bugs:: So they'll get fixed.
35 @node Configuring and compiling
36 @appendixsec Configuring and compiling @theglibc{}
40 @Theglibc{} cannot be compiled in the source directory. You must build
41 it in a separate build directory. For example, if you have unpacked
42 the @glibcadj{} sources in @file{/src/gnu/glibc-@var{version}},
44 @file{/src/gnu/glibc-build} to put the object files in. This allows
45 removing the whole build directory in case an error occurs, which is
46 the safest way to get a fresh start and should always be done.
48 From your object directory, run the shell script @file{configure} located
49 at the top level of the source tree. In the scenario above, you'd type
52 $ ../glibc-@var{version}/configure @var{args@dots{}}
55 Please note that even though you're building in a separate build
56 directory, the compilation may need to create or modify files and
57 directories in the source directory.
60 @code{configure} takes many options, but the only one that is usually
61 mandatory is @samp{--prefix}. This option tells @code{configure}
62 where you want @theglibc{} installed. This defaults to @file{/usr/local},
63 but the normal setting to install as the standard system library is
64 @samp{--prefix=/usr} for @gnulinuxsystems{} and @samp{--prefix=} (an
65 empty prefix) for @gnuhurdsystems{}.
67 It may also be useful to set the @var{CC} and @var{CFLAGS} variables in
68 the environment when running @code{configure}. @var{CC} selects the C
69 compiler that will be used, and @var{CFLAGS} sets optimization options
72 The following list describes all of the available options for
76 @item --prefix=@var{directory}
77 Install machine-independent data files in subdirectories of
78 @file{@var{directory}}. The default is to install in @file{/usr/local}.
80 @item --exec-prefix=@var{directory}
81 Install the library and other machine-dependent files in subdirectories
82 of @file{@var{directory}}. The default is to the @samp{--prefix}
83 directory if that option is specified, or @file{/usr/local} otherwise.
85 @item --with-headers=@var{directory}
86 Look for kernel header files in @var{directory}, not
87 @file{/usr/include}. @Theglibc{} needs information from the kernel's header
88 files describing the interface to the kernel. @Theglibc{} will normally
89 look in @file{/usr/include} for them,
90 but if you specify this option, it will look in @var{DIRECTORY} instead.
92 This option is primarily of use on a system where the headers in
93 @file{/usr/include} come from an older version of @theglibc{}. Conflicts can
94 occasionally happen in this case. You can also use this option if you want to
95 compile @theglibc{} with a newer set of kernel headers than the ones found in
98 @item --enable-add-ons[=@var{list}]
99 Specify add-on packages to include in the build. If this option is
100 specified with no list, it enables all the add-on packages it finds in
101 the main source directory; this is the default behavior. You may
102 specify an explicit list of add-ons to use in @var{list}, separated by
103 spaces or commas (if you use spaces, remember to quote them from the
104 shell). Each add-on in @var{list} can be an absolute directory name
105 or can be a directory name relative to the main source directory, or
106 relative to the build directory (that is, the current working directory).
107 For example, @samp{--enable-add-ons=nptl,../glibc-libidn-@var{version}}.
109 @item --enable-kernel=@var{version}
110 This option is currently only useful on @gnulinuxsystems{}. The
111 @var{version} parameter should have the form X.Y.Z and describes the
112 smallest version of the Linux kernel the generated library is expected
113 to support. The higher the @var{version} number is, the less
114 compatibility code is added, and the faster the code gets.
116 @item --with-binutils=@var{directory}
117 Use the binutils (assembler and linker) in @file{@var{directory}}, not
118 the ones the C compiler would default to. You can use this option if
119 the default binutils on your system cannot deal with all the constructs
120 in @theglibc{}. In that case, @code{configure} will detect the
121 problem and suppress these constructs, so that the library will still be
122 usable, but functionality may be lost---for example, you can't build a
123 shared libc with old binutils.
126 Use this option if your computer lacks hardware floating-point support
127 and your operating system does not emulate an FPU.
129 @c disable static doesn't work currently
130 @c @item --disable-static
131 @c Don't build static libraries. Static libraries aren't that useful these
132 @c days, but we recommend you build them in case you need them.
134 @item --disable-shared
135 Don't build shared libraries even if it is possible. Not all systems
136 support shared libraries; you need ELF support and (currently) the GNU
139 @item --disable-profile
140 Don't build libraries with profiling information. You may want to use
141 this option if you don't plan to do profiling.
143 @item --enable-static-nss
144 Compile static versions of the NSS (Name Service Switch) libraries.
145 This is not recommended because it defeats the purpose of NSS; a program
146 linked statically with the NSS libraries cannot be dynamically
147 reconfigured to use a different name database.
150 By default the C library is built with support for thread-local storage
151 if the used tools support it. By using @samp{--without-tls} this can be
152 prevented though there generally is no reason since it creates
153 compatibility problems.
155 @item --enable-hardcoded-path-in-tests
156 By default, dynamic tests are linked to run with the installed C library.
157 This option hardcodes the newly built C library path in dynamic tests
158 so that they can be invoked directly.
160 @item --enable-lock-elision=yes
161 Enable lock elision for pthread mutexes by default.
165 @item --enable-pt_chown
166 The file @file{pt_chown} is a helper binary for @code{grantpt}
167 (@pxref{Allocation, Pseudo-Terminals}) that is installed setuid root to
168 fix up pseudo-terminal ownership. It is not built by default because
169 systems using the Linux kernel are commonly built with the @code{devpts}
170 filesystem enabled and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, which manages
171 pseudo-terminal ownership automatically. By using
172 @samp{--enable-pt_chown}, you may build @file{pt_chown} and install it
173 setuid and owned by @code{root}. The use of @file{pt_chown} introduces
174 additional security risks to the system and you should enable it only if
175 you understand and accept those risks.
177 @item --build=@var{build-system}
178 @itemx --host=@var{host-system}
179 These options are for cross-compiling. If you specify both options and
180 @var{build-system} is different from @var{host-system}, @code{configure}
181 will prepare to cross-compile @theglibc{} from @var{build-system} to be used
182 on @var{host-system}. You'll probably need the @samp{--with-headers}
183 option too, and you may have to override @var{configure}'s selection of
184 the compiler and/or binutils.
186 If you only specify @samp{--host}, @code{configure} will prepare for a
187 native compile but use what you specify instead of guessing what your
188 system is. This is most useful to change the CPU submodel. For example,
189 if @code{configure} guesses your machine as @code{i686-pc-linux-gnu} but
190 you want to compile a library for 586es, give
191 @samp{--host=i586-pc-linux-gnu} or just @samp{--host=i586-linux} and add
192 the appropriate compiler flags (@samp{-mcpu=i586} will do the trick) to
195 If you specify just @samp{--build}, @code{configure} will get confused.
197 @item --with-pkgversion=@var{version}
198 Specify a description, possibly including a build number or build
199 date, of the binaries being built, to be included in
200 @option{--version} output from programs installed with @theglibc{}.
201 For example, @option{--with-pkgversion='FooBar GNU/Linux glibc build
202 123'}. The default value is @samp{GNU libc}.
204 @item --with-bugurl=@var{url}
205 Specify the URL that users should visit if they wish to report a bug,
206 to be included in @option{--help} output from programs installed with
207 @theglibc{}. The default value refers to the main bug-reporting
208 information for @theglibc{}.
211 To build the library and related programs, type @code{make}. This will
212 produce a lot of output, some of which may look like errors from
213 @code{make} but isn't. Look for error messages from @code{make}
214 containing @samp{***}. Those indicate that something is seriously wrong.
216 The compilation process can take a long time, depending on the
217 configuration and the speed of your machine. Some complex modules may
218 take a very long time to compile, as much as several minutes on slower
219 machines. Do not panic if the compiler appears to hang.
221 If you want to run a parallel make, simply pass the @samp{-j} option
222 with an appropriate numeric parameter to @code{make}. You need a recent
223 GNU @code{make} version, though.
225 To build and run test programs which exercise some of the library
226 facilities, type @code{make check}. If it does not complete
227 successfully, do not use the built library, and report a bug after
228 verifying that the problem is not already known. @xref{Reporting Bugs},
229 for instructions on reporting bugs. Note that some of the tests assume
230 they are not being run by @code{root}. We recommend you compile and
231 test @theglibc{} as an unprivileged user.
233 Before reporting bugs make sure there is no problem with your system.
234 The tests (and later installation) use some pre-existing files of the
235 system such as @file{/etc/passwd}, @file{/etc/nsswitch.conf} and others.
236 These files must all contain correct and sensible content.
238 To format the @cite{GNU C Library Reference Manual} for printing, type
239 @w{@code{make dvi}}. You need a working @TeX{} installation to do
240 this. The distribution builds the on-line formatted version of the
241 manual, as Info files, as part of the build process. You can build
242 them manually with @w{@code{make info}}.
244 The library has a number of special-purpose configuration parameters
245 which you can find in @file{Makeconfig}. These can be overwritten with
246 the file @file{configparms}. To change them, create a
247 @file{configparms} in your build directory and add values as appropriate
248 for your system. The file is included and parsed by @code{make} and has
249 to follow the conventions for makefiles.
251 It is easy to configure @theglibc{} for cross-compilation by
252 setting a few variables in @file{configparms}. Set @code{CC} to the
253 cross-compiler for the target you configured the library for; it is
254 important to use this same @code{CC} value when running
255 @code{configure}, like this: @samp{CC=@var{target}-gcc configure
256 @var{target}}. Set @code{BUILD_CC} to the compiler to use for programs
257 run on the build system as part of compiling the library. You may need to
258 set @code{AR} to cross-compiling versions of @code{ar}
259 if the native tools are not configured to work with
260 object files for the target you configured for. When cross-compiling
261 @theglibc{}, it may be tested using @samp{make check
262 test-wrapper="@var{srcdir}/scripts/cross-test-ssh.sh @var{hostname}"},
263 where @var{srcdir} is the absolute directory name for the main source
264 directory and @var{hostname} is the host name of a system that can run
265 the newly built binaries of @theglibc{}. The source and build
266 directories must be visible at the same locations on both the build
267 system and @var{hostname}.
269 In general, when testing @theglibc{}, @samp{test-wrapper} may be set
270 to the name and arguments of any program to run newly built binaries.
271 This program must preserve the arguments to the binary being run, its
272 working directory, all environment variables set as part of testing
273 and the standard input, output and error file descriptors. If
274 @samp{@var{test-wrapper} env} will not work to run a program with
275 environment variables set, then @samp{test-wrapper-env} must be set to
276 a program that runs a newly built program with environment variable
277 assignments in effect, those assignments being specified as
278 @samp{@var{var}=@var{value}} before the name of the program to be run.
281 @node Running make install
282 @appendixsec Installing the C Library
285 To install the library and its header files, and the Info files of the
286 manual, type @code{env LANGUAGE=C LC_ALL=C make install}. This will
287 build things, if necessary, before installing them; however, you should
288 still compile everything first. If you are installing @theglibc{} as your
289 primary C library, we recommend that you shut the system down to
290 single-user mode first, and reboot afterward. This minimizes the risk
291 of breaking things when the library changes out from underneath.
293 @samp{make install} will do the entire job of upgrading from a
294 previous installation of @theglibc{} version 2.x. There may sometimes
296 left behind from the previous installation, but those are generally
297 harmless. If you want to avoid leaving headers behind you can do
298 things in the following order.
300 You must first build the library (@samp{make}), optionally check it
301 (@samp{make check}), switch the include directories and then install
302 (@samp{make install}). The steps must be done in this order. Not moving
303 the directory before install will result in an unusable mixture of header
304 files from both libraries, but configuring, building, and checking the
305 library requires the ability to compile and run programs against the old
306 library. The new @file{/usr/include}, after switching the include
307 directories and before installing the library should contain the Linux
308 headers, but nothing else. If you do this, you will need to restore
309 any headers from libraries other than @theglibc{} yourself after installing the
312 You can install @theglibc{} somewhere other than where you configured it to go
313 by setting the @code{install_root} variable on the command line for
314 @samp{make install}. The value of this variable is prepended to all the
315 paths for installation. This is useful when setting up a chroot
316 environment or preparing a binary distribution. The directory should be
317 specified with an absolute file name.
319 @Theglibc{} includes a daemon called @code{nscd}, which you
320 may or may not want to run. @code{nscd} caches name service lookups; it
321 can dramatically improve performance with NIS+, and may help with DNS as
324 One auxiliary program, @file{/usr/libexec/pt_chown}, is installed setuid
325 @code{root} if the @samp{--enable-pt_chown} configuration option is used.
326 This program is invoked by the @code{grantpt} function; it sets the
327 permissions on a pseudoterminal so it can be used by the calling process.
328 If you are using a Linux kernel with the @code{devpts} filesystem enabled
329 and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, you don't need this program.
331 After installation you might want to configure the timezone and locale
332 installation of your system. @Theglibc{} comes with a locale
333 database which gets configured with @code{localedef}. For example, to
334 set up a German locale with name @code{de_DE}, simply issue the command
335 @samp{localedef -i de_DE -f ISO-8859-1 de_DE}. To configure all locales
336 that are supported by @theglibc{}, you can issue from your build directory the
337 command @samp{make localedata/install-locales}.
339 To configure the locally used timezone, set the @code{TZ} environment
340 variable. The script @code{tzselect} helps you to select the right value.
341 As an example, for Germany, @code{tzselect} would tell you to use
342 @samp{TZ='Europe/Berlin'}. For a system wide installation (the given
343 paths are for an installation with @samp{--prefix=/usr}), link the
344 timezone file which is in @file{/usr/share/zoneinfo} to the file
345 @file{/etc/localtime}. For Germany, you might execute @samp{ln -s
346 /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin /etc/localtime}.
348 @node Tools for Compilation
349 @appendixsec Recommended Tools for Compilation
350 @cindex installation tools
351 @cindex tools, for installing library
353 We recommend installing the following GNU tools before attempting to
358 GNU @code{make} 3.79 or newer
360 You need the latest version of GNU @code{make}. Modifying @theglibc{}
361 to work with other @code{make} programs would be so difficult that
362 we recommend you port GNU @code{make} instead. @strong{Really.} We
363 recommend GNU @code{make} version 3.79. All earlier versions have severe
364 bugs or lack features.
367 GCC 4.4 or newer, GCC 4.6 recommended
369 GCC 4.4 or higher is required; as of this writing, GCC 4.6 is the
370 compiler we advise to use to build @theglibc{}.
372 You can use whatever compiler you like to compile programs that use
375 Check the FAQ for any special compiler issues on particular platforms.
378 GNU @code{binutils} 2.20 or later
380 You must use GNU @code{binutils} (as and ld) to build @theglibc{}.
381 No other assembler or linker has the necessary functionality at the
385 GNU @code{texinfo} 4.5 or later
387 To correctly translate and install the Texinfo documentation you need
388 this version of the @code{texinfo} package. Earlier versions do not
389 understand all the tags used in the document, and the installation
390 mechanism for the info files is not present or works differently.
393 GNU @code{awk} 3.1.2, or higher
395 @code{awk} is used in several places to generate files.
396 Some @code{gawk} extensions are used, including the @code{asorti}
397 function, which was introduced in version 3.1.2 of @code{gawk}.
402 Perl is not required, but it is used if present to test the
403 installation. We may decide to use it elsewhere in the future.
406 GNU @code{sed} 3.02 or newer
408 @code{Sed} is used in several places to generate files. Most scripts work
409 with any version of @code{sed}. The known exception is the script
410 @code{po2test.sed} in the @code{intl} subdirectory which is used to
411 generate @code{msgs.h} for the test suite. This script works correctly
412 only with GNU @code{sed} 3.02. If you like to run the test suite, you
413 should definitely upgrade @code{sed}.
418 If you change any of the @file{configure.ac} files you will also need
422 GNU @code{autoconf} 2.53 or higher
426 and if you change any of the message translation files you will need
430 GNU @code{gettext} 0.10.36 or later
434 You may also need these packages if you upgrade your source tree using
435 patches, although we try to avoid this.
438 @appendixsec Specific advice for @gnulinuxsystems{}
439 @cindex kernel header files
441 If you are installing @theglibc{} on @gnulinuxsystems{}, you need to have
442 the header files from a 2.6.19.1 or newer kernel around for reference.
443 These headers must be installed using @samp{make headers_install}; the
444 headers present in the kernel source directory are not suitable for
445 direct use by @theglibc{}. You do not need to use that kernel, just have
446 its headers installed where @theglibc{} can access them, referred to here as
447 @var{install-directory}. The easiest way to do this is to unpack it
448 in a directory such as @file{/usr/src/linux-@var{version}}. In that
449 directory, run @samp{make headers_install
450 INSTALL_HDR_PATH=@var{install-directory}}. Finally, configure @theglibc{}
451 with the option @samp{--with-headers=@var{install-directory}/include}.
452 Use the most recent kernel you can get your hands on. (If you are
453 cross-compiling @theglibc{}, you need to specify
454 @samp{ARCH=@var{architecture}} in the @samp{make headers_install}
455 command, where @var{architecture} is the architecture name used by the
456 Linux kernel, such as @samp{x86} or @samp{powerpc}.)
458 After installing @theglibc{}, you may need to remove or rename
459 directories such as @file{/usr/include/linux} and
460 @file{/usr/include/asm}, and replace them with copies of directories
461 such as @file{linux} and @file{asm} from
462 @file{@var{install-directory}/include}. All directories present in
463 @file{@var{install-directory}/include} should be copied, except that
464 @theglibc{} provides its own version of @file{/usr/include/scsi}; the
465 files provided by the kernel should be copied without replacing those
466 provided by @theglibc{}. The @file{linux}, @file{asm} and
467 @file{asm-generic} directories are required to compile programs using
468 @theglibc{}; the other directories describe interfaces to the kernel but
469 are not required if not compiling programs using those interfaces.
470 You do not need to copy kernel headers if you did not specify an
471 alternate kernel header source using @samp{--with-headers}.
473 The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard for @gnulinuxsystems{} expects some
474 components of the @glibcadj{} installation to be in
475 @file{/lib} and some in @file{/usr/lib}. This is handled automatically
476 if you configure @theglibc{} with @samp{--prefix=/usr}. If you set some other
477 prefix or allow it to default to @file{/usr/local}, then all the
478 components are installed there.
481 @appendixsec Reporting Bugs
482 @cindex reporting bugs
483 @cindex bugs, reporting
485 There are probably bugs in @theglibc{}. There are certainly
486 errors and omissions in this manual. If you report them, they will get
487 fixed. If you don't, no one will ever know about them and they will
488 remain unfixed for all eternity, if not longer.
490 It is a good idea to verify that the problem has not already been
491 reported. Bugs are documented in two places: The file @file{BUGS}
492 describes a number of well known bugs and the central @glibcadj{}
493 bug tracking system has a
495 @url{http://sourceware.org/bugzilla/}. The WWW
496 interface gives you access to open and closed reports. A closed report
497 normally includes a patch or a hint on solving the problem.
499 To report a bug, first you must find it. With any luck, this will be the
500 hard part. Once you've found a bug, make sure it's really a bug. A
501 good way to do this is to see if @theglibc{} behaves the same way
502 some other C library does. If so, probably you are wrong and the
503 libraries are right (but not necessarily). If not, one of the libraries
504 is probably wrong. It might not be @theglibc{}. Many historical
505 Unix C libraries permit things that we don't, such as closing a file
508 If you think you have found some way in which @theglibc{} does not
509 conform to the ISO and POSIX standards (@pxref{Standards and
510 Portability}), that is definitely a bug. Report it!
512 Once you're sure you've found a bug, try to narrow it down to the
513 smallest test case that reproduces the problem. In the case of a C
514 library, you really only need to narrow it down to one library
515 function call, if possible. This should not be too difficult.
517 The final step when you have a simple test case is to report the bug.
518 Do this at @value{REPORT_BUGS_TO}.
520 If you are not sure how a function should behave, and this manual
521 doesn't tell you, that's a bug in the manual. Report that too! If the
522 function's behavior disagrees with the manual, then either the library
523 or the manual has a bug, so report the disagreement. If you find any
524 errors or omissions in this manual, please report them to the
525 bug database. If you refer to specific
526 sections of the manual, please include the section names for easier