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From: wmk@fed.frb.gov (William M. Kules)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Want to change X11 install hierarchy
Message-ID: <1014@arccs1.fed.FRB.GOV>
Date: 21 Jun 91 13:44:33 GMT
Sender: news@fed.FRB.GOV
Reply-To: wmk@fed.frb.gov (William M. Kules)
Organization: Federal Reserve Board, Wash, DC
Lines: 37


We support X11 (and lots of other software) on about 160 Sun 3s and 4s.
The easiest way for us to do this is by putting each package (e.g. X11,
OpenWindows, Emacs) in its own hierarchy, outside the normal /usr partition,
then providing symbolic links from /usr/<application> to point to the
real application.  This provides benefits for users, because they don't
have to change their PATH when switching between architectures.  It
benefits us, too, because it localizes all changes to one area when we
have to update an application.

Has anyone futzed with the config files to do this?  It would be pretty
easy, except that the .a and .so files get stuck in USRLIB by default.
The benefit would be that we'd have a lot more flexibility in where we
installed it.

The hierarchy could then look something like this:

/usr/X11 --
          |
          |-- bin
          |
          |-- include
          |
          |-- lib
          |
          |-- usrlib (for shared and static libraries)

I know the docs say you shouldn't do this, but after 18 months
of having to hand install libraries, I'm about ready to.  Any warnings,
sample config files, etc. would be appreciated.

Maybe they could do this for R5...


Bill Kules, Automation and Research Computing |	Internet: wmk@fed.FRB.GOV
Federal Reserve Board, Washington, DC	      |	    UUCP: uunet!fed!wmk
"Recycling:  Just do it, dammit!"             |	   Phone: (202) 452-3933