(forw) Re: your reported configure problem

[Kaveh R. Ghazi]

 > From: Dave Love <d.love@dl.ac.uk>
 > 
 > >>>>> "RL" == Robert Lipe <robertl@dgii.com> writes:
 > 
 >  RL> As promised.  He's on some sort if Irix system.  I don't recall
 >  RL> which.  I'm sure that Kaveh wouldn't mind being "conferenced in"
 >  RL> on our discussion.
 > 
 > Can/should I help with this?  The problem is I don't understand what
 > the problem is.  What should I do to see it?  I haven't found any
 > trouble locating install-sh -- is that the problem? -- (specifically
 > on irix6, but I guess the platform doesn't matter).  I can't see why
 > install-sh wouldn't be found in $srcdir/.., assuming it's at the top
 > of the tree, as it should be.  However, if we do need to dump a copy
 > or link to it in libf2c, I can't see that being a problem.
 > 
 > Is this supposed to be multilib-related, or independent of that?
 > 

	(I've cc'ed egcs-bugs back in on this discussion.)

Dave,

	The problem I am seeing is that configure can't find install-sh. 
This happens on any platform where the target multilibbed stuff goes
three or more directories deep.  On my mips-sgi-irix6.2 platform, it
happens in mips-sgi-irix6.2/mabi=64/libf2c/, but it also happens in
other (/pic/, etc) directories on sparc-sun-sunos4.1.4 and
powerpc-ibm-aix4.1.4.0 and probably other platforms that have wacky
multilib combinations. 

	The reason three directories deep is an issue is because of
the autoconf macro AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT.  (This macro is
referenced by AC_PROG_INSTALL and AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM, both of which
are called in libf2c/configure.in.)  The macro looks like this:

 > AC_DEFUN(AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT,
 > [AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIRS($srcdir $srcdir/.. $srcdir/../..)])

and AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIRS in turn looks for install-sh in those
directories.  These are all stock macros from autoconf/acgeneral.m4,
so hacking these macros directly is probably not the best solution,
even though an arbitrary two levels up lookup seems bogus.

	I tried removing AC_PROG_INSTALL and setting $INSTALL to
$(topsrcdir)/install-sh on Robert's suggestion, but that's when I
discovered the reference from AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM.  I'd instead
suggest having the multilib linking procedure make a symlink from
$(srcdir)/install-sh to $(topsrcdir)/install-sh so configure will find
the install-sh script.  (You might need a test to see if the two
aren't the same directory?  May just check if $(srcdir)/install-sh
already exists?)  However I am no expert in this area, so take my
suggestion with a grain of salt. :-)

		--Kaveh

PS: It would be nice to hear if anyone else has managed to reproduce
the problem.
--
Kaveh R. Ghazi			Engagement Manager / Project Services
ghazi@caip.rutgers.edu		Icon CMT Corp.