postgresql/doc/FAQ_HPUX

=======================================================
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL 7.1
HP-UX Specific
TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NORMAL FAQ
=======================================================
last updated:           $Date: 2001/03/20 00:18:21 $

current maintainer:     Tom Lane (tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us)
original author:        Tom Lane (tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us)


Questions covered here:
1.1)	What do I need to install PostgreSQL on HP-UX?
1.2)	Anything special about the build/install procedure?
1.3)	yacc dies trying to process src/backend/parser/gram.y.
1.4)	Linking the main postgres executable fails, complaining that
	there's no "alloca" function. 
1.5)	OK, it seemed to build and install, but the regression test fails.


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Section 1:      Installing PostgreSQL
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1.1)	What do I need to install PostgreSQL on HP-UX?

PostgreSQL 7.1 is known to build and pass regression test on HPUX 10.20,
given appropriate system patch levels and build tools.  It should work on
other HPUX 9.* and 10.* releases for Series 700/800 machines, too (prior
Postgres releases were tested on 9.03 and 9.05).  I have heard nonspecific
reports of problems on HPUX 11; more info and/or patches would be
appreciated!

Aside from the PostgreSQL source distribution, you will need GNU make
(HP's make will not do), and either GNU gcc or HP's full ANSI C compiler.
If you intend to build from CVS sources rather than a distribution tarball,
you will also need flex (GNU lex) and bison (GNU yacc).

I'd also recommend making sure you are fairly up-to-date on HP patches,
particularly if you are using HPUX 9.  At a minimum, if you are on HPUX 9,
you *must* have PHSS_4630 (libm update) or a successor patch; otherwise
Postgres' date/time functions will misbehave.  On general principles you
should be current on libc and ld/dld patches, as well as compiler patches
if you are using HP's C compiler.  (The only other presently known failure
from out-of-date system libraries is that on HPUX 10.10, the backend will
crash after the second error message in a session unless you have upgraded
libc to PHCO_16722 or later.)

See HP's support websites, such as http://us-support.external.hp.com/,
for free copies of their latest patches.


1.2)	Anything special about the build/install procedure?

If you have both HP's C compiler and GCC's, then you might want to
explicitly select the compiler to use when you run `configure':
	CC=cc ./configure
for HP's C compiler, or
	CC=gcc ./configure
for GCC.  If you omit this setting then configure will pick gcc.

The default install target location is /usr/local/pgsql, which
(particularly on HPUX 10) you might want to change to something under
/opt.  If so, use the --prefix switch to configure.


1.3)	yacc dies trying to process src/backend/parser/gram.y.

HP's yacc doesn't create its tables large enough to handle the Postgres
grammar (a lot of other vendors' yaccs have this problem too).  The
preferred solution is to use GNU bison instead.  If you don't want to
do that for some reason, it's possible to increase yacc's table sizes
enough to cope.  With a pre-6.4 PostgreSQL grammar, I was able to get
HPUX 9's yacc to work by setting YFLAGS to
	-d -Np2000 -Ns3000 -Nm100000 -Nl2000 -Na30000 -Nc10000
(You can edit YFLAGS either in the template file before running
configure, or in src/Makefile.global afterwards.)  Later PostgreSQL
releases might require even larger tables, but this should do for
a starting point.

Note that this shouldn't affect you if you are using a distribution
tarball, but it does matter if you pull the sources from the CVS server.


1.4)	Linking the main postgres executable fails, complaining that
	there's no "alloca" function. 

You're using an old version of GNU bison.  Update to 1.28 or later,
and re-make the bison output files.  Or build with gcc, or update to
HPUX 10, either of which will provide support for alloca.


1.5)	OK, it seemed to build and install, but the regression test fails.

There are several "expected failures" due to differences between HPUX
and the regression test reference platform used by the PostgreSQL group.
All of these should be compensated for by the regression test comparison
mechanism, with the possible exception of some low-order-digit differences
in the geometry tests (depending on which compiler and math library
versions you use).

Any other error is cause for suspicion.  In particular, if you see
failures in the datetime test on HPUX 9, you probably forgot to
install the libm patch PHSS_4630 --- see item 1.1 above.

The parallel regression test script (gmake check) is known to lock up
when run under HP's default Bourne shell, at least in HPUX 10.20.  This
appears to be a shell bug, not the fault of the script.  If you see that
the tests have stopped making progress and only a shell process is
consuming CPU, kill the shell and start over with
	gmake SHELL=/bin/ksh check
to use ksh instead.