mirror of
git://sourceware.org/git/glibc.git
synced 2024-12-09 04:11:27 +08:00
3a12c70f13
It seems we require texinfo 4.7 for the --plaintext option, so document that and check for the correct version in configure. ChangeLog: 2014-12-15 Will Newton <will.newton@linaro.org> * manual/install.texi: Bump required version of texinfo to 4.7 from 4.5. * INSTALL: Regenerated. * configure.ac: Check for makeinfo version 4.7 and above. * configure: Regenerated.
546 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
546 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
@include macros.texi
|
|
@include pkgvers.texi
|
|
|
|
@ifclear plain
|
|
@node Installation, Maintenance, Library Summary, Top
|
|
@end ifclear
|
|
|
|
@c %MENU% How to install the GNU C Library
|
|
@appendix Installing @theglibc{}
|
|
|
|
Before you do anything else, you should read the FAQ at
|
|
@url{http://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/FAQ}. It answers common
|
|
questions and describes problems you may experience with compilation
|
|
and installation.
|
|
|
|
Features can be added to @theglibc{} via @dfn{add-on} bundles. These are
|
|
separate tar files, which you unpack into the top level of the source
|
|
tree. Then you give @code{configure} the @samp{--enable-add-ons} option
|
|
to activate them, and they will be compiled into the library.
|
|
|
|
You will need recent versions of several GNU tools: definitely GCC and
|
|
GNU Make, and possibly others. @xref{Tools for Compilation}, below.
|
|
|
|
@ifclear plain
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Configuring and compiling:: How to compile and test GNU libc.
|
|
* Running make install:: How to install it once you've got it
|
|
compiled.
|
|
* Tools for Compilation:: You'll need these first.
|
|
* Linux:: Specific advice for GNU/Linux systems.
|
|
* Reporting Bugs:: So they'll get fixed.
|
|
@end menu
|
|
@end ifclear
|
|
|
|
@node Configuring and compiling
|
|
@appendixsec Configuring and compiling @theglibc{}
|
|
@cindex configuring
|
|
@cindex compiling
|
|
|
|
@Theglibc{} cannot be compiled in the source directory. You must build
|
|
it in a separate build directory. For example, if you have unpacked
|
|
the @glibcadj{} sources in @file{/src/gnu/glibc-@var{version}},
|
|
create a directory
|
|
@file{/src/gnu/glibc-build} to put the object files in. This allows
|
|
removing the whole build directory in case an error occurs, which is
|
|
the safest way to get a fresh start and should always be done.
|
|
|
|
From your object directory, run the shell script @file{configure} located
|
|
at the top level of the source tree. In the scenario above, you'd type
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
$ ../glibc-@var{version}/configure @var{args@dots{}}
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
Please note that even though you're building in a separate build
|
|
directory, the compilation may need to create or modify files and
|
|
directories in the source directory.
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
@code{configure} takes many options, but the only one that is usually
|
|
mandatory is @samp{--prefix}. This option tells @code{configure}
|
|
where you want @theglibc{} installed. This defaults to @file{/usr/local},
|
|
but the normal setting to install as the standard system library is
|
|
@samp{--prefix=/usr} for @gnulinuxsystems{} and @samp{--prefix=} (an
|
|
empty prefix) for @gnuhurdsystems{}.
|
|
|
|
It may also be useful to set the @var{CC} and @var{CFLAGS} variables in
|
|
the environment when running @code{configure}. @var{CC} selects the C
|
|
compiler that will be used, and @var{CFLAGS} sets optimization options
|
|
for the compiler.
|
|
|
|
The following list describes all of the available options for
|
|
@code{configure}:
|
|
|
|
@table @samp
|
|
@item --prefix=@var{directory}
|
|
Install machine-independent data files in subdirectories of
|
|
@file{@var{directory}}. The default is to install in @file{/usr/local}.
|
|
|
|
@item --exec-prefix=@var{directory}
|
|
Install the library and other machine-dependent files in subdirectories
|
|
of @file{@var{directory}}. The default is to the @samp{--prefix}
|
|
directory if that option is specified, or @file{/usr/local} otherwise.
|
|
|
|
@item --with-headers=@var{directory}
|
|
Look for kernel header files in @var{directory}, not
|
|
@file{/usr/include}. @Theglibc{} needs information from the kernel's header
|
|
files describing the interface to the kernel. @Theglibc{} will normally
|
|
look in @file{/usr/include} for them,
|
|
but if you specify this option, it will look in @var{DIRECTORY} instead.
|
|
|
|
This option is primarily of use on a system where the headers in
|
|
@file{/usr/include} come from an older version of @theglibc{}. Conflicts can
|
|
occasionally happen in this case. You can also use this option if you want to
|
|
compile @theglibc{} with a newer set of kernel headers than the ones found in
|
|
@file{/usr/include}.
|
|
|
|
@item --enable-add-ons[=@var{list}]
|
|
Specify add-on packages to include in the build. If this option is
|
|
specified with no list, it enables all the add-on packages it finds in
|
|
the main source directory; this is the default behavior. You may
|
|
specify an explicit list of add-ons to use in @var{list}, separated by
|
|
spaces or commas (if you use spaces, remember to quote them from the
|
|
shell). Each add-on in @var{list} can be an absolute directory name
|
|
or can be a directory name relative to the main source directory, or
|
|
relative to the build directory (that is, the current working directory).
|
|
For example, @samp{--enable-add-ons=nptl,../glibc-libidn-@var{version}}.
|
|
|
|
@item --enable-kernel=@var{version}
|
|
This option is currently only useful on @gnulinuxsystems{}. The
|
|
@var{version} parameter should have the form X.Y.Z and describes the
|
|
smallest version of the Linux kernel the generated library is expected
|
|
to support. The higher the @var{version} number is, the less
|
|
compatibility code is added, and the faster the code gets.
|
|
|
|
@item --with-binutils=@var{directory}
|
|
Use the binutils (assembler and linker) in @file{@var{directory}}, not
|
|
the ones the C compiler would default to. You can use this option if
|
|
the default binutils on your system cannot deal with all the constructs
|
|
in @theglibc{}. In that case, @code{configure} will detect the
|
|
problem and suppress these constructs, so that the library will still be
|
|
usable, but functionality may be lost---for example, you can't build a
|
|
shared libc with old binutils.
|
|
|
|
@item --without-fp
|
|
Use this option if your computer lacks hardware floating-point support
|
|
and your operating system does not emulate an FPU.
|
|
|
|
@c disable static doesn't work currently
|
|
@c @item --disable-static
|
|
@c Don't build static libraries. Static libraries aren't that useful these
|
|
@c days, but we recommend you build them in case you need them.
|
|
|
|
@item --disable-shared
|
|
Don't build shared libraries even if it is possible. Not all systems
|
|
support shared libraries; you need ELF support and (currently) the GNU
|
|
linker.
|
|
|
|
@item --disable-profile
|
|
Don't build libraries with profiling information. You may want to use
|
|
this option if you don't plan to do profiling.
|
|
|
|
@item --enable-static-nss
|
|
Compile static versions of the NSS (Name Service Switch) libraries.
|
|
This is not recommended because it defeats the purpose of NSS; a program
|
|
linked statically with the NSS libraries cannot be dynamically
|
|
reconfigured to use a different name database.
|
|
|
|
@item --without-tls
|
|
By default the C library is built with support for thread-local storage
|
|
if the used tools support it. By using @samp{--without-tls} this can be
|
|
prevented though there generally is no reason since it creates
|
|
compatibility problems.
|
|
|
|
@item --enable-hardcoded-path-in-tests
|
|
By default, dynamic tests are linked to run with the installed C library.
|
|
This option hardcodes the newly built C library path in dynamic tests
|
|
so that they can be invoked directly.
|
|
|
|
@item --enable-lock-elision=yes
|
|
Enable lock elision for pthread mutexes by default.
|
|
|
|
@pindex pt_chown
|
|
@findex grantpt
|
|
@item --enable-pt_chown
|
|
The file @file{pt_chown} is a helper binary for @code{grantpt}
|
|
(@pxref{Allocation, Pseudo-Terminals}) that is installed setuid root to
|
|
fix up pseudo-terminal ownership. It is not built by default because
|
|
systems using the Linux kernel are commonly built with the @code{devpts}
|
|
filesystem enabled and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, which manages
|
|
pseudo-terminal ownership automatically. By using
|
|
@samp{--enable-pt_chown}, you may build @file{pt_chown} and install it
|
|
setuid and owned by @code{root}. The use of @file{pt_chown} introduces
|
|
additional security risks to the system and you should enable it only if
|
|
you understand and accept those risks.
|
|
|
|
@item --disable-werror
|
|
By default, @theglibc{} is built with @option{-Werror}. If you wish
|
|
to build without this option (for example, if building with a newer
|
|
version of GCC than this version of @theglibc{} was tested with, so
|
|
new warnings cause the build with @option{-Werror} to fail), you can
|
|
configure with @option{--disable-werror}.
|
|
|
|
@item --build=@var{build-system}
|
|
@itemx --host=@var{host-system}
|
|
These options are for cross-compiling. If you specify both options and
|
|
@var{build-system} is different from @var{host-system}, @code{configure}
|
|
will prepare to cross-compile @theglibc{} from @var{build-system} to be used
|
|
on @var{host-system}. You'll probably need the @samp{--with-headers}
|
|
option too, and you may have to override @var{configure}'s selection of
|
|
the compiler and/or binutils.
|
|
|
|
If you only specify @samp{--host}, @code{configure} will prepare for a
|
|
native compile but use what you specify instead of guessing what your
|
|
system is. This is most useful to change the CPU submodel. For example,
|
|
if @code{configure} guesses your machine as @code{i686-pc-linux-gnu} but
|
|
you want to compile a library for 586es, give
|
|
@samp{--host=i586-pc-linux-gnu} or just @samp{--host=i586-linux} and add
|
|
the appropriate compiler flags (@samp{-mcpu=i586} will do the trick) to
|
|
@var{CFLAGS}.
|
|
|
|
If you specify just @samp{--build}, @code{configure} will get confused.
|
|
|
|
@item --with-pkgversion=@var{version}
|
|
Specify a description, possibly including a build number or build
|
|
date, of the binaries being built, to be included in
|
|
@option{--version} output from programs installed with @theglibc{}.
|
|
For example, @option{--with-pkgversion='FooBar GNU/Linux glibc build
|
|
123'}. The default value is @samp{GNU libc}.
|
|
|
|
@item --with-bugurl=@var{url}
|
|
Specify the URL that users should visit if they wish to report a bug,
|
|
to be included in @option{--help} output from programs installed with
|
|
@theglibc{}. The default value refers to the main bug-reporting
|
|
information for @theglibc{}.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
To build the library and related programs, type @code{make}. This will
|
|
produce a lot of output, some of which may look like errors from
|
|
@code{make} but isn't. Look for error messages from @code{make}
|
|
containing @samp{***}. Those indicate that something is seriously wrong.
|
|
|
|
The compilation process can take a long time, depending on the
|
|
configuration and the speed of your machine. Some complex modules may
|
|
take a very long time to compile, as much as several minutes on slower
|
|
machines. Do not panic if the compiler appears to hang.
|
|
|
|
If you want to run a parallel make, simply pass the @samp{-j} option
|
|
with an appropriate numeric parameter to @code{make}. You need a recent
|
|
GNU @code{make} version, though.
|
|
|
|
To build and run test programs which exercise some of the library
|
|
facilities, type @code{make check}. If it does not complete
|
|
successfully, do not use the built library, and report a bug after
|
|
verifying that the problem is not already known. @xref{Reporting Bugs},
|
|
for instructions on reporting bugs. Note that some of the tests assume
|
|
they are not being run by @code{root}. We recommend you compile and
|
|
test @theglibc{} as an unprivileged user.
|
|
|
|
Before reporting bugs make sure there is no problem with your system.
|
|
The tests (and later installation) use some pre-existing files of the
|
|
system such as @file{/etc/passwd}, @file{/etc/nsswitch.conf} and others.
|
|
These files must all contain correct and sensible content.
|
|
|
|
Normally, @code{make check} will run all the tests before reporting
|
|
all problems found and exiting with error status if any problems
|
|
occurred. You can specify @samp{stop-on-test-failure=y} when running
|
|
@code{make check} to make the test run stop and exit with an error
|
|
status immediately when a failure occurs.
|
|
|
|
To format the @cite{GNU C Library Reference Manual} for printing, type
|
|
@w{@code{make dvi}}. You need a working @TeX{} installation to do
|
|
this. The distribution builds the on-line formatted version of the
|
|
manual, as Info files, as part of the build process. You can build
|
|
them manually with @w{@code{make info}}.
|
|
|
|
The library has a number of special-purpose configuration parameters
|
|
which you can find in @file{Makeconfig}. These can be overwritten with
|
|
the file @file{configparms}. To change them, create a
|
|
@file{configparms} in your build directory and add values as appropriate
|
|
for your system. The file is included and parsed by @code{make} and has
|
|
to follow the conventions for makefiles.
|
|
|
|
It is easy to configure @theglibc{} for cross-compilation by
|
|
setting a few variables in @file{configparms}. Set @code{CC} to the
|
|
cross-compiler for the target you configured the library for; it is
|
|
important to use this same @code{CC} value when running
|
|
@code{configure}, like this: @samp{CC=@var{target}-gcc configure
|
|
@var{target}}. Set @code{BUILD_CC} to the compiler to use for programs
|
|
run on the build system as part of compiling the library. You may need to
|
|
set @code{AR} to cross-compiling versions of @code{ar}
|
|
if the native tools are not configured to work with
|
|
object files for the target you configured for. When cross-compiling
|
|
@theglibc{}, it may be tested using @samp{make check
|
|
test-wrapper="@var{srcdir}/scripts/cross-test-ssh.sh @var{hostname}"},
|
|
where @var{srcdir} is the absolute directory name for the main source
|
|
directory and @var{hostname} is the host name of a system that can run
|
|
the newly built binaries of @theglibc{}. The source and build
|
|
directories must be visible at the same locations on both the build
|
|
system and @var{hostname}.
|
|
|
|
In general, when testing @theglibc{}, @samp{test-wrapper} may be set
|
|
to the name and arguments of any program to run newly built binaries.
|
|
This program must preserve the arguments to the binary being run, its
|
|
working directory and the standard input, output and error file
|
|
descriptors. If
|
|
@samp{@var{test-wrapper} env} will not work to run a program with
|
|
environment variables set, then @samp{test-wrapper-env} must be set to
|
|
a program that runs a newly built program with environment variable
|
|
assignments in effect, those assignments being specified as
|
|
@samp{@var{var}=@var{value}} before the name of the program to be
|
|
run. If multiple assignments to the same variable are specified,
|
|
the last assignment specified must take precedence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Running make install
|
|
@appendixsec Installing the C Library
|
|
@cindex installing
|
|
|
|
To install the library and its header files, and the Info files of the
|
|
manual, type @code{make install}. This will
|
|
build things, if necessary, before installing them; however, you should
|
|
still compile everything first. If you are installing @theglibc{} as your
|
|
primary C library, we recommend that you shut the system down to
|
|
single-user mode first, and reboot afterward. This minimizes the risk
|
|
of breaking things when the library changes out from underneath.
|
|
|
|
@samp{make install} will do the entire job of upgrading from a
|
|
previous installation of @theglibc{} version 2.x. There may sometimes
|
|
be headers
|
|
left behind from the previous installation, but those are generally
|
|
harmless. If you want to avoid leaving headers behind you can do
|
|
things in the following order.
|
|
|
|
You must first build the library (@samp{make}), optionally check it
|
|
(@samp{make check}), switch the include directories and then install
|
|
(@samp{make install}). The steps must be done in this order. Not moving
|
|
the directory before install will result in an unusable mixture of header
|
|
files from both libraries, but configuring, building, and checking the
|
|
library requires the ability to compile and run programs against the old
|
|
library. The new @file{/usr/include}, after switching the include
|
|
directories and before installing the library should contain the Linux
|
|
headers, but nothing else. If you do this, you will need to restore
|
|
any headers from libraries other than @theglibc{} yourself after installing the
|
|
library.
|
|
|
|
You can install @theglibc{} somewhere other than where you configured it to go
|
|
by setting the @code{install_root} variable on the command line for
|
|
@samp{make install}. The value of this variable is prepended to all the
|
|
paths for installation. This is useful when setting up a chroot
|
|
environment or preparing a binary distribution. The directory should be
|
|
specified with an absolute file name.
|
|
|
|
@Theglibc{} includes a daemon called @code{nscd}, which you
|
|
may or may not want to run. @code{nscd} caches name service lookups; it
|
|
can dramatically improve performance with NIS+, and may help with DNS as
|
|
well.
|
|
|
|
One auxiliary program, @file{/usr/libexec/pt_chown}, is installed setuid
|
|
@code{root} if the @samp{--enable-pt_chown} configuration option is used.
|
|
This program is invoked by the @code{grantpt} function; it sets the
|
|
permissions on a pseudoterminal so it can be used by the calling process.
|
|
If you are using a Linux kernel with the @code{devpts} filesystem enabled
|
|
and mounted at @file{/dev/pts}, you don't need this program.
|
|
|
|
After installation you might want to configure the timezone and locale
|
|
installation of your system. @Theglibc{} comes with a locale
|
|
database which gets configured with @code{localedef}. For example, to
|
|
set up a German locale with name @code{de_DE}, simply issue the command
|
|
@samp{localedef -i de_DE -f ISO-8859-1 de_DE}. To configure all locales
|
|
that are supported by @theglibc{}, you can issue from your build directory the
|
|
command @samp{make localedata/install-locales}.
|
|
|
|
To configure the locally used timezone, set the @code{TZ} environment
|
|
variable. The script @code{tzselect} helps you to select the right value.
|
|
As an example, for Germany, @code{tzselect} would tell you to use
|
|
@samp{TZ='Europe/Berlin'}. For a system wide installation (the given
|
|
paths are for an installation with @samp{--prefix=/usr}), link the
|
|
timezone file which is in @file{/usr/share/zoneinfo} to the file
|
|
@file{/etc/localtime}. For Germany, you might execute @samp{ln -s
|
|
/usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin /etc/localtime}.
|
|
|
|
@node Tools for Compilation
|
|
@appendixsec Recommended Tools for Compilation
|
|
@cindex installation tools
|
|
@cindex tools, for installing library
|
|
|
|
We recommend installing the following GNU tools before attempting to
|
|
build @theglibc{}:
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{make} 3.79 or newer
|
|
|
|
You need the latest version of GNU @code{make}. Modifying @theglibc{}
|
|
to work with other @code{make} programs would be so difficult that
|
|
we recommend you port GNU @code{make} instead. @strong{Really.} We
|
|
recommend GNU @code{make} version 3.79. All earlier versions have severe
|
|
bugs or lack features.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
GCC 4.6 or newer
|
|
|
|
GCC 4.6 or higher is required. In general it is recommended to use
|
|
the newest version of the compiler that is known to work for building
|
|
@theglibc{}, as newer compilers usually produce better code. As of
|
|
release time, GCC 4.9 is the newest compiler verified to work to build
|
|
@theglibc{}.
|
|
|
|
You can use whatever compiler you like to compile programs that use
|
|
@theglibc{}.
|
|
|
|
Check the FAQ for any special compiler issues on particular platforms.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{binutils} 2.22 or later
|
|
|
|
You must use GNU @code{binutils} (as and ld) to build @theglibc{}.
|
|
No other assembler or linker has the necessary functionality at the
|
|
moment.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{texinfo} 4.7 or later
|
|
|
|
To correctly translate and install the Texinfo documentation you need
|
|
this version of the @code{texinfo} package. Earlier versions do not
|
|
understand all the tags used in the document, and the installation
|
|
mechanism for the info files is not present or works differently.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{awk} 3.1.2, or higher
|
|
|
|
@code{awk} is used in several places to generate files.
|
|
Some @code{gawk} extensions are used, including the @code{asorti}
|
|
function, which was introduced in version 3.1.2 of @code{gawk}.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Perl 5
|
|
|
|
Perl is not required, but it is used if present to test the
|
|
installation. We may decide to use it elsewhere in the future.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{sed} 3.02 or newer
|
|
|
|
@code{Sed} is used in several places to generate files. Most scripts work
|
|
with any version of @code{sed}. The known exception is the script
|
|
@code{po2test.sed} in the @code{intl} subdirectory which is used to
|
|
generate @code{msgs.h} for the test suite. This script works correctly
|
|
only with GNU @code{sed} 3.02. If you like to run the test suite, you
|
|
should definitely upgrade @code{sed}.
|
|
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
If you change any of the @file{configure.ac} files you will also need
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{autoconf} 2.69 (exactly)
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
and if you change any of the message translation files you will need
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
@item
|
|
GNU @code{gettext} 0.10.36 or later
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
You may also need these packages if you upgrade your source tree using
|
|
patches, although we try to avoid this.
|
|
|
|
@node Linux
|
|
@appendixsec Specific advice for @gnulinuxsystems{}
|
|
@cindex kernel header files
|
|
|
|
If you are installing @theglibc{} on @gnulinuxsystems{}, you need to have
|
|
the header files from a 2.6.32 or newer kernel around for reference.
|
|
These headers must be installed using @samp{make headers_install}; the
|
|
headers present in the kernel source directory are not suitable for
|
|
direct use by @theglibc{}. You do not need to use that kernel, just have
|
|
its headers installed where @theglibc{} can access them, referred to here as
|
|
@var{install-directory}. The easiest way to do this is to unpack it
|
|
in a directory such as @file{/usr/src/linux-@var{version}}. In that
|
|
directory, run @samp{make headers_install
|
|
INSTALL_HDR_PATH=@var{install-directory}}. Finally, configure @theglibc{}
|
|
with the option @samp{--with-headers=@var{install-directory}/include}.
|
|
Use the most recent kernel you can get your hands on. (If you are
|
|
cross-compiling @theglibc{}, you need to specify
|
|
@samp{ARCH=@var{architecture}} in the @samp{make headers_install}
|
|
command, where @var{architecture} is the architecture name used by the
|
|
Linux kernel, such as @samp{x86} or @samp{powerpc}.)
|
|
|
|
After installing @theglibc{}, you may need to remove or rename
|
|
directories such as @file{/usr/include/linux} and
|
|
@file{/usr/include/asm}, and replace them with copies of directories
|
|
such as @file{linux} and @file{asm} from
|
|
@file{@var{install-directory}/include}. All directories present in
|
|
@file{@var{install-directory}/include} should be copied, except that
|
|
@theglibc{} provides its own version of @file{/usr/include/scsi}; the
|
|
files provided by the kernel should be copied without replacing those
|
|
provided by @theglibc{}. The @file{linux}, @file{asm} and
|
|
@file{asm-generic} directories are required to compile programs using
|
|
@theglibc{}; the other directories describe interfaces to the kernel but
|
|
are not required if not compiling programs using those interfaces.
|
|
You do not need to copy kernel headers if you did not specify an
|
|
alternate kernel header source using @samp{--with-headers}.
|
|
|
|
The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard for @gnulinuxsystems{} expects some
|
|
components of the @glibcadj{} installation to be in
|
|
@file{/lib} and some in @file{/usr/lib}. This is handled automatically
|
|
if you configure @theglibc{} with @samp{--prefix=/usr}. If you set some other
|
|
prefix or allow it to default to @file{/usr/local}, then all the
|
|
components are installed there.
|
|
|
|
@node Reporting Bugs
|
|
@appendixsec Reporting Bugs
|
|
@cindex reporting bugs
|
|
@cindex bugs, reporting
|
|
|
|
There are probably bugs in @theglibc{}. There are certainly
|
|
errors and omissions in this manual. If you report them, they will get
|
|
fixed. If you don't, no one will ever know about them and they will
|
|
remain unfixed for all eternity, if not longer.
|
|
|
|
It is a good idea to verify that the problem has not already been
|
|
reported. Bugs are documented in two places: The file @file{BUGS}
|
|
describes a number of well known bugs and the central @glibcadj{}
|
|
bug tracking system has a
|
|
WWW interface at
|
|
@url{http://sourceware.org/bugzilla/}. The WWW
|
|
interface gives you access to open and closed reports. A closed report
|
|
normally includes a patch or a hint on solving the problem.
|
|
|
|
To report a bug, first you must find it. With any luck, this will be the
|
|
hard part. Once you've found a bug, make sure it's really a bug. A
|
|
good way to do this is to see if @theglibc{} behaves the same way
|
|
some other C library does. If so, probably you are wrong and the
|
|
libraries are right (but not necessarily). If not, one of the libraries
|
|
is probably wrong. It might not be @theglibc{}. Many historical
|
|
Unix C libraries permit things that we don't, such as closing a file
|
|
twice.
|
|
|
|
If you think you have found some way in which @theglibc{} does not
|
|
conform to the ISO and POSIX standards (@pxref{Standards and
|
|
Portability}), that is definitely a bug. Report it!
|
|
|
|
Once you're sure you've found a bug, try to narrow it down to the
|
|
smallest test case that reproduces the problem. In the case of a C
|
|
library, you really only need to narrow it down to one library
|
|
function call, if possible. This should not be too difficult.
|
|
|
|
The final step when you have a simple test case is to report the bug.
|
|
Do this at @value{REPORT_BUGS_TO}.
|
|
|
|
If you are not sure how a function should behave, and this manual
|
|
doesn't tell you, that's a bug in the manual. Report that too! If the
|
|
function's behavior disagrees with the manual, then either the library
|
|
or the manual has a bug, so report the disagreement. If you find any
|
|
errors or omissions in this manual, please report them to the
|
|
bug database. If you refer to specific
|
|
sections of the manual, please include the section names for easier
|
|
identification.
|