Autoconf for total beginner [Solved]

Library Eye · #1 21st February 2009, 10:27 PM

Hi. I have a problem with my display, documented in Mac/PPC post. I've been trying to find a solution to it for most of the year- apparently it's not an uncommon problem (screen is off center). None of the suggestions I have found work. Finally I found one that looks like it would work. I need to edit the source code and then compile a driver. I found the source code and made the suggested edit. The file "configure.ac" says that I need to "Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script"

I have googled & I have searched this forum looking to no avail for a beginner's guide to autoconf. I am a total newbie and can't make sense of what I find as none of it starts, well, at the beginning... I'd very much like to be able to use linux and learn what I need to to make required changes but I need to find documentation that I can utilize in this aim. Does anyone know where I can find the honest to gosh basics of using autoconf? Not a document that's going to presume an already working knowledge of it? I've looked and looked ... Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really want to fix my display for starters. Thanks everyone.

#2 21st February 2009, 10:40 PM

What file did you have to edit? Most of the changes to a released autoconfigured package do not need a rerun of autoconf...

Library Eye · #3 21st February 2009, 10:48 PM

The file is called nv_dac.c

RupertPupkin · #4 21st February 2009, 10:50 PM

You can download a free book on autoconf here: http://sources.redhat.com/autobook/

#5 21st February 2009, 10:52 PM

If that's the only change you made, and if the package you have the source for was properly released (that is, if it has files called "configure" and "Makefile" in its top firectory) you should simply follow the instructions provided with the package, with no need to autoreconfigure anything.

(Well, of course, this really depends on the nature of the change you did: if you added a new dependency or something like that, things will be more complicated... Without knowing any details, it is impossible to tell, but the abov is a safe bet in this case)

Library Eye · #6 21st February 2009, 11:08 PM

Rupert - thanks for the link.
Mariano - The only edit I made was to remove a couple of lines from the nv_dac.c file. there is a "configure.ac" as well as "makefile.am" file in main directory. But I still need to compile the driver correctly so I can install it? I tried using the code from the configure.ac file but I receive errors.

#7 21st February 2009, 11:14 PM

Well, I did not mention "configure.ac" nor "Makefile.am": I said "configure" and "Makefile". There is a difference...

If you do not have "configure" and "Makefile" in the top directory of the source, then you do need to autoconfigure the thing. Usually, the steps are

Code:

aclocal
autoconf
automake --add-missing

After that, things are setp up to compile, so that

Code:

./configure
make

will usually build the thing.

There are many places where this can fail: for example, you need to have all the required tools (autoconf, automake, and others) and development packages for every dependency.

Without having details about the package it is impossible to tell.

leigh123linux · #8 21st February 2009, 11:28 PM

You could try

Code:

autoreconf -v --install

Code:

./configure
make

Library Eye · #9 21st February 2009, 11:32 PM

Looks like a couple of required files

`config.h.in'

`./ltmain.sh'

are missing . So I guess this isn't as ready as I was hoping. Maybe I should hunt down a different package?

Library Eye · #10 21st February 2009, 11:39 PM

leigh123 -
I tried your suggestion & I received a syntax error after ./configure and then I'm told "No targets specified and no makefile found". Obviously I don't know the first thing about this! I appreciate everyone's help. Thanks so much.

The package is nv-2.1.12

leigh123linux · #11 21st February 2009, 11:49 PM

Try this source (non git)

http://xorg.freedesktop.org/releases...-2.1.12.tar.gz

Library Eye · #12 22nd February 2009, 12:03 AM

I downloaded http://xorg.freedesktop.org/releases...-2.1.12.tar.gz - opened it's directory in terminal, ran autoreconf -v --install. then when i ran ./configure
I got same error -
./configure: line 20790: syntax error near unexpected token `RANDR,'
./configure: line 20790: `XORG_DRIVER_CHECK_EXT(RANDR, randrproto)'

am I doing this all wrong?

leigh123linux · #13 22nd February 2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Library Eye

I downloaded http://xorg.freedesktop.org/releases...-2.1.12.tar.gz - opened it's directory in terminal, ran autoreconf -v --install. then when i ran ./configure
I got same error -
./configure: line 20790: syntax error near unexpected token `RANDR,'
./configure: line 20790: `XORG_DRIVER_CHECK_EXT(RANDR, randrproto)'

am I doing this all wrong?

For the file I linked just run

Code:

./configure
make
su
make install

Library Eye · #14 22nd February 2009, 12:24 AM

I ran above & received error :

checking for XORG... configure: error: Package requirements (xorg-server >= 1.2 xproto fontsproto ) were not met:

No package 'xorg-server' found

I searched Add/Remove Software for xorg-server but found nothing? Is there somewhere safe I can find this? (Funny thing is, I';m not interested in development (obviously I don't know squat about programming - last attempt was in 8th grade) I just want to get my display working right.)

#15 22nd February 2009, 11:05 PM

You need, at least, the "X Software Development" group installed:

Code:

yum groupinstall "X Software Development"

Someone should tell the xorg-nv guys to release dist'ed tarballs... it is rather silly not to.