Trouble Installing Gnome on new gentoo installation

[exitsfunnel]

Hello, last week I installed gentoo for the first time. The installation went pretty well but then yesterday when I tried to install gnome I ran into a problem. Here's what I did:

(1) emrege --sync
(2) edited make.conf to include the line: USE="-qt -kde gtk gnome doc"
(3) emerge gnome xscreensaver
(4) watched stuff scroll across my screen for 15 minutes and then went to bed

When I woke up this morning there was an error message. Here are the last few lines of output from the screen:

//Begin output
i386-pc-linux-gnu-g++: /usr/lib/gcc/i386-pc-linux-gnu/3.4.4/../../../crtn.o: No such file or directory
make: *** [libapm.la] Error 1

!!! ERROR: sys-apps/apmd-3.2.1_p4 failed.
!!! Function src_compile, Line 50, Exitcode 2
!!! emake failed
!!! If you need support, post the topmost build error, NOT this status message
//End output

The last line leads me to believe I'm not posting the most useful information but (a) I'm not sure what the 'topmost build error' is and (b) even if I knew, as this was just running on a console, there is no way (unless there is a log file somewhere) for me to retrieve anything other than what's on my screen. I'm not really sure how to proceed. If anyone could point me in the right direction, that would be great. Thanks in advance!

-exits

[SinoTech]

If you got an already running window manager and you run "emerge" inside it (e.g. in xterm, Eterm, ...) you can simply copy 'n paste error messages ...
1. Copy: Mark the test (Click left mouse button and move it over the desired text)
2. Paste: Press the middle mouse button to paste the text

You can also store the whole output of "emerge" by adding the following line to your make.conf

Code: Select all

PORT_LOGDIR="/var/log/portage"

Make sure the specified directory exists.

BTW, the missed file ("/usr/lib/crtn.o") is part of "glibc" and so it should exist. Could you please post the output of ...
1. emerge --info
2. gcc-config -l

Regards,

Sino

[exitsfunnel]

Thanks Sino, for taking the time to reply.

If you got an already running window manager and you run "emerge" inside it (e.g. in xterm, Eterm, ...) you can simply copy 'n paste error messages ...
1. Copy: Mark the test (Click left mouse button and move it over the desired text)
2. Paste: Press the middle mouse button to paste the text

This would be helpfult but I don't think that I have an already running window manager (I'm a little hazy on some of this stuff), in fact I don't think that I even have an X-Server installed. I have (almost) exactly what's installed after one works through the install manual, which doesn't seem to be too much of anything. I was working under the impression that that stuff would be tagged as a dependency of gnome and would have been installed as a result of the 'emerge gnome xscreensaver' command. Was I wrong?

You can also store the whole output of "emerge" by adding the following line to your make.conf

Code: Select all

PORT_LOGDIR="/var/log/portage"

Make sure the specified directory exists.

This is helpful and I just made the change.

BTW, the missed file ("/usr/lib/crtn.o") is part of "glibc" and so it should exist. Could you please post the output of ...
1. emerge --info
2. gcc-config -l

Okay, 'emerge --info' returns lots of stuff; too much to type I'm working on getting an ftp server working on the machine I'm posting this from; once that's done I'll be able to redirect the 'emerge --info' output to a file, ftp it, and cut and paste it for posting. Until then, is there any specific piece of information you're interested in?

'gcc-config -l':

[1] i386-pc-linux-gnu-3.4.5 *
[2] i386-pc-linux-gnu-3.4.5-hardened
[3] i386-pc-linux-gnu-3.4.5-hardenednopie
[4] i386-pc-linux-gnu-3.4.5-hardenednopiessp
[5] i386-pc-linux-gnu-3.4.5-hardenednossp

I have no idea what any of this means though I'm surprised that I'd have a configuration problem with something so basic as gcc. I don't believe that I deviated at all from the installation instructions so I can't imagine what could be the problem. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

-exits

[thasheep]

Something seems rather strange. glibc (which owns /usr/lib/crtn.o) is essential to building software and would come on any downloaded gentoo stage. Does /usr/lib/crtn.o exist??
I have no idea what's causing this problem but you should be able to work around it. You can build gnome without apmd (the package that wouldn't compile). Add '-apm' to your USE flags in /etc/make.conf, and gnome-applets won't pull it in with the emerge command. Also, on the theme of USE flags, you really want to have gtk2 in there as well. The flag gtk normally only refers to version 1 of gtk - that isn't needed for much. As of version 2 and we're almost up to 2.14 now, gnome is build on gtk2. All gnome-specific programmes will use gtk2 regardless so they won't have it as a USE flag but you'll want non-gnome-specific programmes to cooperate too.
Also, if you got as far as you did into emerging gnome, then I'm pretty sure you will have already built X (xorg-x11) so you should be able to use graphical stuff. But maybe not, it all depends on portage's mood I suppose. [edit...sorry, my 'emerge -ep gnome' suggests it won't have been built] Log in as a non-root user and enter the command startx if something happens, X is built. To configure it, run (as root) 'Xorg -configure'. Once configured, when you log on, you'll get a rather unfriendly screen but it will have an xterm. Emerge fluxbox or one of the other small window managers for something more attractive and usable and then mozilla-firefox (or mozilla-firefox-bin if you don't want to wait for it to compile) and you'll have a nice browser. Text-browsers such as elinks, links and lynx work too. If you want to copy text with a mouse from a non-X console, emerge gpm, start the service '/etc/init.d/gpm start' and it'll work. To get it to start at boot, do 'rc-update add gpm default'.
Sorry for the long post....

[SinoTech]

According to this thread try to re-emerge libtool.
You could also try the following:

Code: Select all

$ fix_libtool_files.sh 3.4.4

Regards,

Sino

[exitsfunnel]

Something seems rather strange. glibc (which owns /usr/lib/crtn.o) is essential to building software and would come on any downloaded gentoo stage. Does /usr/lib/crtn.o exist??

I agree that this is strange, but yes, the file exists.

Also, on the theme of USE flags, you really want to have gtk2 in there as well. The flag gtk normally only refers to version 1 of gtk - that isn't needed for much. As of version 2 and we're almost up to 2.14 now, gnome is build on gtk2. All gnome-specific programmes will use gtk2 regardless so they won't have it as a USE flag but you'll want non-gnome-specific programmes to cooperate too.

This sounds like useful information. Perhaps the gnome configuration howto on this site should be updated? That's where I was getting my information from; I have to admit I'm doing most of this by rote, I'm not even sure what 'gtk' is.

Also, if you got as far as you did into emerging gnome, then I'm pretty sure you will have already built X (xorg-x11) so you should be able to use graphical stuff. But maybe not, it all depends on portage's mood I suppose. [edit...sorry, my 'emerge -ep gnome' suggests it won't have been built] Log in as a non-root user and enter the command startx if something happens, X is built. To configure it, run (as root) 'Xorg -configure'.

Well, the good news is that it appears that I *do* have X already built, the bad news is that when I run 'Xorg -configure', X complains that it is not able to detect my mouse. Being the optimist that I am I try to test the server anyway by issuing 'X -config /root/xorg.conf.new' but the server crashes as a result of the mouse error.

Once configured, when you log on, you'll get a rather unfriendly screen but it will have an xterm. Emerge fluxbox or one of the other small window managers for something more attractive and usable and then mozilla-firefox (or mozilla-firefox-bin if you don't want to wait for it to compile) and you'll have a nice browser. Text-browsers such as elinks, links and lynx work too. If you want to copy text with a mouse from a non-X console, emerge gpm, start the service '/etc/init.d/gpm start' and it'll work. To get it to start at boot, do 'rc-update add gpm default'.

As soon as I get the mouse stuff straightened out, I'll give this approach a shot.

Sorry for the long post....

Quite the contrary, it was quite helpful; thanks alot.

-exits

[thasheep]

Firstly, gtk is a graphics library/engine on which gnome programmes are based. Version 1 and 2 are similar in some ways but still rather different, hence the different USE flags.
To fix the mouse thing, edit xorg.conf.new so that in the "InputDevice" section looks like this

Code: Select all

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse0"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Protocol" "auto"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

The important part is that "Device" points to "/dev/input/mice" (I think the Xorg default is something slightly different). The "ZAxisMapping" line enables the wheel on your mouse to work if it exists. That should work if you've followed a normal gentoo install and configured your kernel properly. If it works then copy that file to /etc/X11/xorg.conf. If it doesn't work then you might need to fiddle around with the 'protocol' line or check your kernel configuration. Using 'make menuconfig', you need to enable 'Device Drivers >> Input Device Support >> Mouse' and possibly some of the protocols (most likely PS/2) inside "mouse". To get the mousewheel working you should also enable 'Device Drivers >> Input Device Support >> Event Interface'. These can be built into the kernel or as modules but the modules must be loaded; coldplug should do this for you at boot. A 'genkernel' should do all this for you but it will also add stuff you don't need.

[exitsfunnel]

Okay, I'm still a little bothered about the crtn.o thing so I've tried again to emerge apmd and though it failed, this time I was able to actually see the lines from make and the issue is that the compiler is expecting to find crtn.o at:

/usr/lib/gcc/i386-pc-linux-gnu/3.4.4/../../../crtn.o

when it is actually located at:

/usr/lib/gcc/i386-pc-linux-gnu/3.4.5/../../../crtn.o

notice '3.4.5' rather than '3.4.4.' It's not clear to me from the path what 3.4.x is a version of? Is it a gcc version?

In any event, I'm going to try to reemerge libtool as suggested in the linked thread but first (in the spirit of 'there's no stupid question') I just want to make sure that by 'reemerge' the thread is suggesting that I do this:

emerge --unmerge libtool
emerge libtool

and not something else. I looked around the documentation but I didn't see any mention of 'reemerge.' Thanks again to both of you for your help.

-exits

[thasheep]

NO DO NOT DO THAT!!!
If you unmerge libtool, I'm sure you'll break your system and then not be able to re-merge it.
However, portage works in a nice way. To remerge libtool, 'emerge libtool' will build it again, 'merge' the newly built version and automatically clean up any scraps of the old one.
Gcc compiles the source on a system. But from the output of 'gcc-config -l' that you posted above, I can't understand why emerging apmd wants to use version 3.4.4. Remerging libtool could be a good idea.
Also, are you sure you have apm? It stands for Advanced Power Management but many computers use acpi (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) instead. Acpi is more 'advanced' by the way so if your hardware supports it, it's a better choice.

[exitsfunnel]

So before I read Thasheep's final reply I unmerged and re-emerged libtool and I must have been lucky because it worked. I then emerged apmd again and this time, there were no problems. I then kicked off again: 'emerge gnome xscreensaver' and now, three hours later, I'm looking at a functioning gnome environment so I'm all set I really appreciate both of your help. Time to install emacs and than I should actually have an environment I can use

-exits

[kicker69101]

I did what was recommended above and that seemed to have fixed the issue.

So I would just re-emerge libtool