[csw-users] Ruby 'gem install mysql' problems

[Ben Walton]

Excerpts from Chris May's message of Thu May 07 18:05:56 -0400 2009:
> Not sure if this is an issue with rubygems, rubydev, or just something wierd
> with my setup:
> 
> ruby        1.8.7,REV=2009.04.06_p72
> rubydev        1.8.7,REV=2009.04.06_p72
> rubygems            1.3.1,REV=2009.02.16
> mysql5           5.0.51,REV=2008.01.20 
> mysql5client           5.0.51,REV=2007.12.19
> mysql5devel           5.0.51,REV=2008.01.20
> mysql5rt           5.0.51,REV=2008.01.20 
> 
> Now, I want to do 'gem install mysql'. 
> 
> Running that command by itself fails to find the mysql libaries. Even though
> mysql_config is on my $PATH, I have to specify it explicitly.

Looking at the extconf.rb shipped with the mysql gem, it only attempts
to use mysql_config if you pass it as you do below.  If you don't pass
that option, it falls back to using directories in /usr/local.  This
is a shortcoming of the mysql gem.

> On inspection, there are 3 problems with the generated Makefile: it
> specifies a -mt parameter which gcc claims not to understand, it
> specifies -xtarget=386, which again isnt' understood, and it doesn't
> specify -R/opt/csw/mysql5/lib/mysql, so libmysqlclient.so can't be
> found at runtime. If I remove the two bogus parameters and add the
> -R one, then I can successfully make and install the gem.

This is to do with ruby being built with gcc and mysql being built
with the sun compiler.

> Is this something that I should file as a bug with the Ruby/Mysql project, or
> should it go in the OpenCSW bug tracker, or is it not a bug at all?

I'm not sure, really.  The logic in the extconf.rb Make maker could be
improved...in fact, it ignores the fully qualified path provided to
mysql_config, and relies on the shell and $PATH to find it when it's
called.  Really, though, most of the issue is the assumption that only
a single compiler would be used to build all of the packages.  This is
likely a product of the primary development platform.

I've used this same method to build the gem locally, although you
could play PATH games to provide your own version of mysql_config.
That's a little heavy weight for this type of thing though, I think.

HTH.
-Ben
-- 
Ben Walton
Systems Programmer - CHASS
University of Toronto
C:416.407.5610 | W:416.978.4302

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