#8795: Build fails on Solaris 10 due to missing ranlib -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: kgardas | Owner: Type: bug | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: Component: Compiler | Version: 7.9 Keywords: | Operating System: Solaris Architecture: x86_64 (amd64) | Type of failure: Building GHC Difficulty: Easy (less than 1 | failed hour) | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: | -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Hello, On Solaris 10 and GHC HEAD I get this compilation failure: {{{ Linking utils/ghc-cabal/dist/build/tmp/ghc-cabal ... "touch" utils/ghc-cabal/dist/build/tmp/ghc-cabal "cp" utils/ghc-cabal/dist/build/tmp/ghc-cabal inplace/bin/ghc-cabal "inplace/bin/mkdirhier" compiler/stage1/build//. "rm" -f compiler/stage1/build/Config.hs Creating compiler/stage1/build/Config.hs ... done. "inplace/bin/ghc-cabal" configure libraries/Cabal/Cabal dist-boot "" --with-ghc="/home/karel/sfw/ghc-7.6.3-new-dist/bin/ghc" --with-ghc- pkg="/home/karel/sfw/ghc-7.6.3-new-dist/bin/ghc-pkg" --package- db=/silence/home/karel/vcs/ghc-src/ghc-sunos5.1x-ranlib- fix/libraries/bootstrapping.conf --disable-library-for-ghci --enable- library-vanilla --enable-library-for-ghci --disable-library-profiling --disable-shared --configure-option=CFLAGS=" -U__i686 " --configure- option=LDFLAGS=" " --configure-option=CPPFLAGS=" " --constraint "Cabal == 1.18.1.3" --constraint "hpc == 0.6.0.1" --constraint "bin- package-db == 0.0.0.0" --constraint "hoopl == 3.10.0.0" --constraint "transformers == 0.3.0.0" --constraint "terminfo == 0.4.0.0" --with- gcc="/usr/sfw/bin/gcc" --configure-option=--with-cc="/usr/sfw/bin/gcc" --with-ar="/usr/xpg4/bin/ar" --with-ranlib=":" --with- alex="/home/karel/.cabal/bin/alex" --with- happy="/home/karel/.cabal/bin/happy" Configuring Cabal-1.18.1.3... ghc-cabal: Cannot find the program 'ranlib' at ':' or on the path gmake[1]: *** [libraries/Cabal/Cabal/dist-boot/package-data.mk] Error 1 }}} the reason for this failure is that in configure.ac we're using FP_PROG_AR_NEEDS_RANLIB which is defined in aclocal.m4 and uses AC_PROG_RANLIB in its body. The problem is that if ranlib is not found then AC_PROG_RANLIB sets RANLIB variable to `:' which is preferred way of no-op in POSIX shell even slightly more preferable than setting it to true (google for it if you care). Anyway, ghc-cabal tries to execute `:', but this fails since this is shell built-in and not the program/application on the target OS. The fix should be easy, test if RANLIB is set to `:' and set it to true. This works since true is actually a program/application on Solaris 10: {{{ $ which true /usr/bin/true }}} Please note that such failure will happen on all OSes (Unix(-like)) which do not provide ranlib command. Also please note that Solaris 11 is not hit by this issue since it provides ranlib in a form of shell wrapper actually calling just `exit 0' -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/8795 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler