setting the path variables

sudheer.svss · 02-19-2013, 05:16 AM

hi friends,
I am trying to install Tophat software in my linux fedora 17. I was facing insatallation problems and I found the solution is to set the export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/folder/to/boost/dist/lib
I have downloaded the boost in a directory called data, its path is /root/data/boost_1_40_0

i have installed boost 1.40 in /usr/local/include/boost as mentioned in the Tophat getting started website.
so i shud set the path to the above LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
i have tried to set as /usr/local/include/boost/dist/lib., but couldnot install Tophat software sucessfully., I request u to please give me suggestions on what is /to/ means.,

shivaa · 02-19-2013, 07:25 AM

Which is your shell - bash or csh/tcsh or any other?

For bash shell, add library in path as:

Code:

~$ set PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/include/boost/dist/lib
~$ echo $PATH

For csh/tcsh:

Code:

~$ setenv PATH $PATH:/usr/local/include/boost/dist/lib
~$ echo $PATH

To make it permanant, add the same line at the end of your .bashrc or .profile file.

Also share the error message that you're getting?

tronayne · 02-19-2013, 07:48 AM

There are a couple of PATH variables you may want to set.

The LD_LIBRARY_PATH should be set like this:

Code:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/folder/to/boost/dist/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH

What that does is place the path to ".../dist/lib" before your existing LD_LIBRARY_PATH (if any). If you were to add an additional LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable to this, you would do it like this:

Code:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/folder/to/boost/dist/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=new_path:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH

That adds the new path to the previous path. The colon (

is important.

Bear in mind that LD_LIBRARY_PATH is "where to look for libraries;" e.g., files named something like libabc.a or libabc.so. It is highly unlikely that an include directory will have library files in it (include files are usually file.h and are used by the compiler) -- best check that.

Execution path, the PATH environment variable, is set similarly:

Code:

PATH=path-to-something-new:${PATH}
export PATH

You can set these in an individual user's .profile file or you can set them system-wide. If you set them in a user's .profile they'll be available to that user (say, a user that will be using the software you've added). If you set them system-wide, that can be done in /etc/profile (so every user will have the paths) or, better, if you have a directory /etc/profile.d, you can add a small executable shell program ("script") there. For example, this file sets up the path environment for a application named GMT on my systems:

Code:

cat /etc/profile.d/gmt.sh
#!/bin/sh
#ident	"$Id$"
#
#	Name:		$Source$
#	Version:	$Revision$
#	Modified:	$Date$
#	Purpose:	set local environment variables for GTM and netCDF
#	Author:		T. N. Ronayne
#	Date:		1 Oct 2009
#	$Log$
export GMTHOME="/opt/GMT"
export NETCDFHOME="/opt/netCDF"
export MANPATH="${MANPATH}:${GMTHOME}/man"
export MANPATH="${MANPATH}:${NETCDFHOME}/man"
# Set the local system $PATH:
PATH="${PATH}:${GMTHOME}/bin"
PATH="${PATH}:${NETCDFHOME}/bin"

The file, /etc/profile.d/gmt.sh is executable; i.e., it was created with a text editor then

Code:

chmod 755 /etc/profile.d/gmt.sh

NOTE: if you do not have an existing /etc/profile.d directory, do not do the above, simply add the lines in user .profile files or append them to the end of /etc/profile or refer to your documentation for how to do this in Fedora; the method is the same but where to put it may not be.

Hope this helps some.

goumba · 02-19-2013, 08:10 AM

Just curious, not a regular fedora user... but there's no Boost in it's repositories? That should make it a lot easier to get this up and working than trying to install Boost from source.