This tutorial is aimed to help linux beginners ( especially that
comes from windows background) to learn software installation in
linux with ease.
Generally beginners try to search RPMs since installing RPM is really very easy. But this article will help you out for installation of softwares that you get in zipped format.
Installation Steps:
This would create a directory and unzip all the files into that directory.
The above command makes the shell to run script named “configure“ which exits in same directory. Basically configure script checks machine details and dependencies, if any. The main job of script is to create Makefile. Depending on the checks performed on your system it would write down various steps to be taken (while compiling the software in next step) in the file named Makefile.
#make
‘make’ utility runs with the help of Makefile created in previous step into same directory. The Makefile actually has lots of sections and based on needs it passes control from one section to another.
Basically make utility complies all the program code and creates executables. For particular section of program to complete might require some other part of code already ready, this is what Makefile does. It sets the sequence for the events into Makefile so that program doesn’t complain about missing dependency.
#make install
Once ‘make ’ command executes successfully , we run ‘make install’ in the same directory. When we run ‘make’ without any parameter , the instruction written in Make file begin executing from the start. But when we run make with install, the make utility searches for a label named ‘install’ and executes only that section as shown below:
4.
This installation process put executables, conf
files and other required files into required file directories for eg.
/usr/local/bin/ or /usr/bin, depending PREFIX written into Makefile as
shown below. In the above example it creats directory /etc/vpnc/ once installation
is successful.
Great!! You have now successfully installed the software and may use it.
Generally beginners try to search RPMs since installing RPM is really very easy. But this article will help you out for installation of softwares that you get in zipped format.
Installation Steps:
- You would get Linux software in tarball format (.tgz or
.tar.gz).
- Uncompress the file by using tar command as below :
This would create a directory and unzip all the files into that directory.
- Now you have to install the software using these 3 commands :
configure, make and make install.
The above command makes the shell to run script named “configure“ which exits in same directory. Basically configure script checks machine details and dependencies, if any. The main job of script is to create Makefile. Depending on the checks performed on your system it would write down various steps to be taken (while compiling the software in next step) in the file named Makefile.
#make
‘make’ utility runs with the help of Makefile created in previous step into same directory. The Makefile actually has lots of sections and based on needs it passes control from one section to another.
Basically make utility complies all the program code and creates executables. For particular section of program to complete might require some other part of code already ready, this is what Makefile does. It sets the sequence for the events into Makefile so that program doesn’t complain about missing dependency.
#make install
Once ‘make ’ command executes successfully , we run ‘make install’ in the same directory. When we run ‘make’ without any parameter , the instruction written in Make file begin executing from the start. But when we run make with install, the make utility searches for a label named ‘install’ and executes only that section as shown below:
4.
This installation process put executables, conf
files and other required files into required file directories for eg.
/usr/local/bin/ or /usr/bin, depending PREFIX written into Makefile as
shown below. In the above example it creats directory /etc/vpnc/ once installation
is successful.Great!! You have now successfully installed the software and may use it.
