GNU Info

(bashref.info)Basic Installation

---

Next: Compilers and Options Up: Installing Bash

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Basic Installation
==================

   These are installation instructions for Bash.

   The simplest way to compile Bash is:

  1. `cd' to the directory containing the source code and type
     `./configure' to configure Bash for your system.  If you're using
     `csh' on an old version of System V, you might need to type `sh
     ./configure' instead to prevent `csh' from trying to execute
     `configure' itself.

     Running `configure' takes some time.  While running, it prints
     messages telling which features it is checking for.

  2. Type `make' to compile Bash and build the `bashbug' bug reporting
     script.

  3. Optionally, type `make tests' to run the Bash test suite.

  4. Type `make install' to install `bash' and `bashbug'.  This will
     also install the manual pages and Info file.


   The `configure' shell script attempts to guess correct values for
various system-dependent variables used during compilation.  It uses
those values to create a `Makefile' in each directory of the package
(the top directory, the `builtins', `doc', and `support' directories,
each directory under `lib', and several others).  It also creates a
`config.h' file containing system-dependent definitions.  Finally, it
creates a shell script named `config.status' that you can run in the
future to recreate the current configuration, a file `config.cache'
that saves the results of its tests to speed up reconfiguring, and a
file `config.log' containing compiler output (useful mainly for
debugging `configure').  If at some point `config.cache' contains
results you don't want to keep, you may remove or edit it.

   To find out more about the options and arguments that the
`configure' script understands, type

     bash-2.04$ ./configure --help

at the Bash prompt in your Bash source directory.

   If you need to do unusual things to compile Bash, please try to
figure out how `configure' could check whether or not to do them, and
mail diffs or instructions to <bash-maintainers@gnu.org> so they can be
considered for the next release.

   The file `configure.in' is used to create `configure' by a program
called Autoconf.  You only need `configure.in' if you want to change it
or regenerate `configure' using a newer version of Autoconf.  If you do
this, make sure you are using Autoconf version 2.50 or newer.

   You can remove the program binaries and object files from the source
code directory by typing `make clean'.  To also remove the files that
`configure' created (so you can compile Bash for a different kind of
computer), type `make distclean'.