[Bioperl-l] make on IRIX 6.5

Mark Dalphin mdalphin@amgen.com
Fri, 12 Jul 2002 14:00:22 -0700


Hi David,

I reported the work around for Irix 6.5 last April 24. I have not run
into any problems on my SGI since I implemented the fix several months
ago. I've included a copy of my email below.

Mark

> "David A. Jewell" wrote:
> 
> Yes, all my Linux installs have no problems
>  but good old SGI hardware is hard to part with.
> 
> Does anyone know how to fix MakeMaker?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave
> 
> --- "Hilmar Lapp" wrote:
> Try Linux instead of Irix ;)
> 
> Jokes aside, MakeMaker has a bug that's not been fixed yet (correct, Jason?)
> (virtually every perl package uses MakeMaker for installation). Bioperl as the
> largest CPAN package has triggered that bug ...
> 
> Someone's posted a work-around that involves messing with your kernel ... if
> you're confident doing that try search the archive in March or April (or has
> anyone the original posting handy?).
> 
>         -hilmar

==================== April 24 Email Copy
===================================
I can report a fix for Irix (IRIX64 6.5).

I consulted with one of our SysAdmins, Richard Stokotelny, and he found
a kernel tuning parameter which alters the ARG_MAX limit.

This change has permitted me to install BioPerl 1.0 without any
problems. (If a number bigger than 64k is entered, Irix has a kernel
panic during the re-boot. I used 50000.)

Richard says to do the following:
=====================================================
as root on your SGI, 
# systune -i
systune-> ncargs <a number LESS than 65535>
<it asks if you are sure> 
systune-> quit

autoconfig -v
/etc/reboot

=======================================================

> > This is a troubling bug report. Can others confirm? I've had zero
> > trouble with OpenBSD and Linux but don't have easy access to Irix, HPUX
> > or Alpha systems. We may have gotten bitten by the huge size of our
> > distribution.
> 
> Serge seems to know what he is talking about. In the past I've had the same
> problem in IRIX but I never bothered to find out what exactly was wrong.
> Thanks Serge!
> 
> Confirmed on IRIX:
> 
> cetus /tmp/bioperl-1.0> make
> make: execvp: /bin/sh: Arg list too long
> make: *** [pm_to_blib] Error 127
> cetus /tmp/bioperl-1.0>
> 
> I got curious and ran Serges program on various platforms:
> 
> IRIX64:  ARG_MAX =   20480
> SUNOS:   ARG_MAX = 1048320
> OSF1:    ARG_MAX =   38912
> LINUX:   ARG_MAX =  131072
> 
> I've no access to HPUX.
> 
> 
> Looks like we have to come up with a 1.01 quite soon.
> 
>         -Heikki

-- 
Mark Dalphin                          email: mdalphin@amgen.com
Mail Stop: 29-2-A                     phone: +1-805-447-4951 (work)
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