I am new to doing command line C++ compiling and linking in Linux. I have been a Developer Studio programmer for years in the Windows environment, so I am spoiled. We are porting a group of C++ programs from Solaris 10 to Red Hat version 5 and I am having trouble getting the include and library paths correct in the make file. Getting a "make Error 127" - Command not found when I run the make file. The makefile is shown below.

***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************

####################################################################
APP_HOME=/home/payroll/c
EXE_HOME=${APP_HOME}/exe
GOBJ=$(EXE_HOME)
GEXE=$(EXE_HOME)

#CC=gcc
CC=g++


# Options to be passed to your C++ compiler:
CCOPTIONS= -O

# Where the library is located:
LIBDIR=-I/usr/lib/


# STL header include path

STLINCL=-I/usr/include/

# USER's header include path

USERINCL=-I/home/payroll/c/include/

# Full path to the library:
LIBFULL= $(LIBDIR)

# Link directives for the library:
LIBLINK=


# Compile flags:

CPPFLAGS= $(STLINCL) $(USERINCL) $(CCOPTIONS) -library=iostream




######################## Executables #######################

# STL based examples:
STL= mmapptr dequeval

# Template example programs:
TEMPLATE= tvdlist tpdlist

# Internationalization example programs:
I18N= i18n

########################## Targets ########################
CONVERTCIPS_OBJ=cipsfile.o convertengine.o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsmain.o

all: convertcips
convertcips: $(EXE_HOME)/convertcips

# clean: $(RM) *.o
########################## Conversions ########################

.SUFFIXES: .cpp .C .cc .cxx .o


##################################################
# general case for compilation
%.o: %.cpp
$(CCC) $(CPPFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

$(EXE_HOME)/convertcips: $(CONVERTCIPS_OBJ)
$(CC) $(CPPFLAGS) -o $(EXE_HOME)/convertcips $(CONVERTCIPS_OBJ) $(LIBFULL)
rm *.o

Any help is greatly appreciated.

ALways paste the whole error, even if you don't know what it all means. It should be telling you what line in your Makefile has a problem.
Here's what I see:

There is an extra space after '=' on several lines. Remove them. Makefiles are not free-form.

There are no instructions in the rule to make convertcips.

I don't see where CCC is defined.

Here is the error. I found the error with CCC, I left off a c in the makefile definition.
**********************************************************************************************

[rpegram@finn c]$ make -f makelinux.mk
I/usr/include/ SERINCL -O -library=iostream -c -o cipsfile.o cipsfile.cpp
make: I/usr/include/: Command not found
make: [cipsfile.o] Error 127 (ignored)
I/usr/include/ SERINCL -O -library=iostream -c -o convertengine.o convertengine.cpp
make: I/usr/include/: Command not found
make: [convertengine.o] Error 127 (ignored)
I/usr/include/ SERINCL -O -library=iostream -c -o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsapp.cpp
make: I/usr/include/: Command not found
make: [convertcipsapp.o] Error 127 (ignored)
I/usr/include/ SERINCL -O -library=iostream -c -o convertcipsmain.o convertcipsmain.cpp
make: I/usr/include/: Command not found
make: [convertcipsmain.o] Error 127 (ignored)
g++ -I/usr/include/ SERINCL -O -library=iostream -o /home/payroll/c/exe/convertcips cipsfile.o convertengine.o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsmain.o -I/usr/lib/
g++: SERINCL: No such file or directory
g++: cipsfile.o: No such file or directory
g++: convertengine.o: No such file or directory
g++: convertcipsapp.o: No such file or directory
g++: convertcipsmain.o: No such file or directory
make: *** [/home/payroll/c/exe/convertcips] Error 1

Made some progress, objects are being created now. Now need to work on linking objects. Here is the make file again.
**********************************************
APP_HOME=/home/payroll/c
EXE_HOME=${APP_HOME}/exe
GOBJ=$(EXE_HOME)
GEXE=$(EXE_HOME)

#CCC=gcc
CCC=g++


# Options to be passed to your C++ compiler:
CCOPTIONS= -O

# Where the library is located:
LIBDIR=-I/usr/lib/


# STL header include path

STLINCL=-I/usr/include/

# USER's header include path

USERINCL=-I/home/payroll/c/include/

# Full path to the library:
LIBFULL= $(LIBDIR)

# Link directives for the library:
LIBLINK=


# Compile flags:

CPPFLAGS= $(STLINCL) $(USERINCL) $(CCOPTIONS) -library=iostream




######################## Executables #######################

# STL based examples:
STL= mmapptr dequeval

# Template example programs:
TEMPLATE= tvdlist tpdlist

# Internationalization example programs:
I18N= i18n

########################## Targets ########################
CONVERTCIPS_OBJ=cipsfile.o convertengine.o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsmain.o

all: convertcips
convertcips: $(EXE_HOME)/convertcips

# clean: $(RM) *.o
########################## Conversions ########################

.SUFFIXES: .cpp .C .cc .cxx .o


##################################################
# general case for compilation
%.o: %.cpp
$(CCC) $(CPPFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<

$(EXE_HOME)/convertcips: $(CONVERTCIPS_OBJ)
$(CCC) $(CPPFLAGS) -o $(EXE_HOME)/convertcips $(CONVERTCIPS_OBJ) $(LIBFULL)
rm *.o
**********************************************

Output results from current makefile
**********************************************************
make -f makelinux.mk
g++ -I/usr/include/ -I/home/payroll/c/include/ -O -library=iostream -c -o cipsfile.o cipsfile.cpp
cipsfile.cpp: In member function âint CipsFile::GetNextLine(unsigned char*, int)â:
cipsfile.cpp:327: warning: NULL used in arithmetic
g++: -library=iostream: linker input file unused because linking not done
g++ -I/usr/include/ -I/home/payroll/c/include/ -O -library=iostream -c -o convertengine.o convertengine.cpp
g++: -library=iostream: linker input file unused because linking not done
g++ -I/usr/include/ -I/home/payroll/c/include/ -O -library=iostream -c -o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsapp.cpp
g++: -library=iostream: linker input file unused because linking not done
g++ -I/usr/include/ -I/home/payroll/c/include/ -O -library=iostream -c -o convertcipsmain.o convertcipsmain.cpp
g++: -library=iostream: linker input file unused because linking not done
g++ -I/usr/include/ -I/home/payroll/c/include/ -O -library=iostream -o /home/payroll/c/exe/convertcips cipsfile.o convertengine.o convertcipsapp.o convertcipsmain.o -I/usr/lib/
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -library=iostream
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [/home/payroll/c/exe/convertcips] Error 1

did you install the development tools ? ( looks like it ? BUT ???? you might be missing things ?
and did you install from source / or the *-devel.rpm's for ALL prerequisites

most are not installed by default in RHEL
having them on a server is a security risk
( a "bad guy" could then build the spy software on the server)

please USE code tags
manually making make files are a pain sometimes
Autotools are a bit better , but for a small program ?? maybe not

?
where is that coming from ?
it is causing one of the errors

No I did not install from development tools. I have no reference documentation for compiles as this is a new process here and the other developers have not experience with the platform. I am basically shooting in the dark trying to create a basic makefile that works and can be put into a Source Code Control system so the next person after me does not have to feel the pain like I do if changes have and will be made in the future.

Are you trying to build a 32-bit executable or a 64-bit? If you have a 32-bit RHEL, you must be building 32-bit and you can ignore this concern. But if you have 64-bit RHEL, I'm not sure whether the g++ default is 32-bit or 64-bit.

/usr/lib/ is 32-bit even on 64-bit RHEL, so if the g++ default is 64-bit, your choice of usr/lib instead of /usr/lib64 might be an issue (EDIT: after you fix other syntax problems that I didn't initially notice that make your choice of lib vs. lib64 not yet relevant).

I always prefer to have one of -m32 or -m64 in my CPPFLAGS, so there is no ambiguity about what I am trying to build.

so you are moving over to RHEL
is there a reason to use the now, starting to age ,older RHEL5.9
( it is rhel5.9 ? and not 5.1 ?)
and not the current RHEL6.3

The 5 series is supported but it is also starting to show sings of it's old age

With RHEL requiring a support contract your company is paying for the license and the support that comes with it

you can start with the Red hat knowledge base
( loging in to red hat will be required)
https://access.redhat.com/search/quick?
and there is the open to EVERYONE documentation
https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/...erprise_Linux/
the docs for the older 5 are near the bottom

Other references
http://www.tldp.org/
and look on Amazon for the older "red hat enterprise linux 5 "bible" "