This file came from Delphion's /afs/d/software/base/perl_modules/README, which had an interesting discussion of that directory, so I copied it to my aixnotes directory for history & reference. So when you see "this directory" below, it refers to Delphion San Jose's /afs/d/software/base/perl_modules. ========================================================================= ========================================================================= ========================================================================= This directory contains the following 4 subdirectories. Source => The original, typically CPAN, source files. AIX-Standard_Builds => Prebuilds for AIX-Standard machines (see the discussion below) Non-AIX-Standard_Builds => Prebuilds for non-AIX-Standard machines (see the discussion below) Distribution => tar'd up files, typically for plopping down in Southbury in /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Source directory contains all the source for Perl modules, most likely downloaded from either http://freeware.bull.net or http://www.cpan.org. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Bull source are typically .exe files that are executable. When you run them, they unzip themselves into installp-able (.bff) files, e.g. perl-aix-5.6.0.0.exe unzip'd into -rw-r--r-- 1 jasper staff 23347200 Jul 06 2000 perl-5.6.0.0.bff -rw-r--r-- 1 jasper staff 2573 Jul 06 2000 perl-5.6.0.0.bff.asc which has been put into the /afs/d/software/base/perl_modules/Non-AIX-Standard_Builds/perl-aix-5.6.0.0 directory. You can then create the .toc file (inutoc . as root) and smitty installp it. The freeware.bull stuff typically installs itself using the normal AIX installp/fileset protocol, calling its filesets freeware.something, e.g. freeware.perl. Of course, you can then easily uninstall it. The freeware.bull stuff also typically installs itself in /usr/local, e.g. /usr/local/bin/perl. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The CPAN source are typically .tar.gz files, which you can gunzip -d < perl-package-name.tar.gz | tar tvf - to see what's inside, or gunzip -d < perl-package-name.tar.gz | tar xvf - to actually untar in case you want to build this from scratch. On the other hand, whoever put the source file out here, may have been nice and un-gunzip'd it for you so it exists as a normal .tar file. There might also be a .tvf file that has a listing of what's inside a .tar file. The normal, CPAN Perl module build procedure is to gunzip -d < perl-package-name.tar.gz | tar xvf - cd perl-package-name make # To make this module for the perl on your system make test then as root, make install # To move the made files, into the right directory Somebody may have been nice though, and you may find the first few steps done for you in the AIX-Standard_Builds or Non-AIX-Standard_Builds directories. This makes it easy to install on a new machine. As root, cd AIX-Standard_Builds/perl-package-name make install - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The reason there are two Build directories, is due to where Perl is installed. - The Perl standard is to install Perl in /usr/local and link /usr/bin/perl to /usr/local/bin/perl (or was this link just something we did? I'm not sure). Before AIX V4.3, this is how you had to install Perl because Perl didn't come with AIX. On really old machines (e.g. penguin on 12/2001, which was originally installed in 1997 and migrated to AIX V4.3 in 1/2001), you'll see perl installed this way. - The AIX Version 4.3 standard is to install Perl in /usr/opt and to link /usr/bin/perl to /usr/opt/perl5/bin/perl5.00503. Why IBM chose to put Perl in this non-standard place, is unknown. - The Southbury standard is to install the AIX Perl in /usr/opt (good), but to then install the IDENTICAL(!!) version of Perl (5.005_03) in /usr/local. They then hijack AIX's /usr/bin/perl link, pointing it to their /usr/local/bin/perl. This is likely because the USF (Universal Server Farm, dummy) standard was established before AIX Version 4.3 came out. But why they didn't undo their duplicate Perl installation when Perl became available in AIX Version 4.3, is beyond me. This leads us to the current situation, where we have machines that need these Perl modules installed in different places. If you're on a normal AIX Version 4.3 machine (e.g. jasper), to quickly install a Perl module, instead of building it from scratch, as root you could just cd perl-package-name/AIX-Standard_Builds and make install But if you were on a really old machine (e.g. penguin as of 12-6-2001) or a Southbury machine, you would need to (again, as root) cd perl-package-name/Non-AIX-Standard_Builds and make install - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Beware of Southbury machine look-alikes (e.g. lizard). It may look like it has the Southbury configuration because /usr/bin/perl is a link to /usr/local/bin/perl, but if you go look at /usr/local/bin/perl, it itself is a link to the normal, AIX perl at /usr/opt/perl5/bin/perl5.00503, so its @INC variable shows the normal, AIX directories. Now who did this??? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To determine how a build directory has been built, you can grep ^PREFIX Makefile If it has PREFIX = /usr/opt/perl5, then it's built for AIX-Standard. If it has PREFIX = /usr/local, then it's built for Non-AIX-Standard. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -