More precisely, it depends on what modules you're installing. Certain modules using XS require the same C compiler as your perl was built on. The version of perl shipped with AIX is compiled using the IBM C compiler, and which version is anyones guess. You could run into compilation problems there, and the errors the install process generates won't necessarily make the reason explicit.

If you install a module, and you get errors about 'missing symbols', the chances are good that you've got exactly this problem.

The module will take care all the the dependencies. :-)

The module will take care all the the dependencies. :-)

As a point of fact jesuashok, chinna raises a valid question. As g0n points out the answer is "it depends." I have personally lived with the frustration of getting things to port to AIX when there are compiler mismatches between libraries I'm dependant on and the compiler I am using to port with.

If you're the schlub that has maintained the machine and know the history you're in luck. Some of us though inherit machines that have passed many through many hands and have had all sorts of sins committed on them.

So chinna, I feel for you. You'll have to do some homework and find out some things about the system you are installing the modules on. If you do a perl -V on the target system it will yield some very useful information. I don't have access to an AIX box at the moment but here is what it looks like on a Linux box:

[pberghol@cowdawg pberghol]$ perl -V
Summary of my perl5 (revision 5 version 8 subversion 6) configuration:
  Platform:
    osname=linux, osvers=2.4.22-1.2149.nptlsmp, archname=i686-linux
    uname='linux cowdawg 2.4.22-1.2149.nptlsmp #1 smp wed jan 7 12:51:
+51 est 2004 i686 i686 i386 gnulinux '
    config_args=''
    hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define
    usethreads=undef use5005threads=undef useithreads=undef usemultipl
+icity=undef
    useperlio=define d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=define usesocks=undef
    use64bitint=undef use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef
    usemymalloc=n, bincompat5005=undef
  Compiler:
    cc='gcc', ccflags ='-fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -I/usr/local/includ
+e -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -I/usr/include/gdbm',
    optimize='-O2',
    cppflags='-fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/i
+nclude/gdbm'
    ccversion='', gccversion='3.3.2 20031022 (Red Hat Linux 3.3.2-1)',
+ gccosandvers=''
    intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=1234
    d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=1
+2
    ivtype='long', ivsize=4, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, Off_t='off_t',
+ lseeksize=8
    alignbytes=4, prototype=define
  Linker and Libraries:
    ld='gcc', ldflags =' -L/usr/local/lib'
    libpth=/usr/local/lib /lib /usr/lib
    libs=-lnsl -lgdbm -ldb -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc
    perllibs=-lnsl -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc
    libc=/lib/libc-2.3.2.so, so=so, useshrplib=false, libperl=libperl.
+a
    gnulibc_version='2.3.2'
  Dynamic Linking:
    dlsrc=dl_dlopen.xs, dlext=so, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags='-Wl,-E'
    cccdlflags='-fpic', lddlflags='-shared -L/usr/local/lib'
 
 
Characteristics of this binary (from libperl):
  Compile-time options: USE_LARGE_FILES
  Built under linux
  Compiled at Jan 11 2005 11:44:30
  @INC:
    /usr/lib/perl5/5.8.6/i686-linux
    /usr/lib/perl5/5.8.6
    /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.6/i686-linux
    /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.6
    /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl
    .
[download]

Note the inclusion of not only the compiler and its version, but there is useful information about the libraries linked in, the options used to build Perl and other useful info.

HTH

---

Peter L. Berghold -- Unix Professional
Peter -at- Berghold -dot- Net; AOL IM redcowdawg Yahoo IM: blue_cowdawg

Here's what i get on a 5.2 AIX machine :

$ perl -V
Summary of my perl5 (revision 5.0 version 8 subversion 0) configuratio
+n:
  Platform:
    osname=aix, osvers=5.2.0.0, archname=aix-thread-multi
    uname='aix rocky 2 5 000ad7df4c00 '
    config_args=''
    hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define
    usethreads=define use5005threads=undef useithreads=define usemulti
+plicity=define
    useperlio=define d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=define usesocks=undef
    use64bitint=undef use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef
    usemymalloc=n, bincompat5005=undef
  Compiler:
    cc='cc_r', ccflags ='-D_ALL_SOURCE -D_ANSI_C_SOURCE -D_POSIX_SOURC
+E -qmaxmem=16384 -qnoansialias -DUSE_NATIVE_DLOPEN -DNEED_PTHREAD_INI
+T -q32 -D_LARGE_FILES -qlonglong',
    optimize='-O',
    cppflags='-D_ALL_SOURCE -D_ANSI_C_SOURCE -D_POSIX_SOURCE -qmaxmem=
+16384 -qnoansialias -DUSE_NATIVE_DLOPEN -DNEED_PTHREAD_INIT'
    ccversion='', gccversion='', gccosandvers=''
    intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=4321
    d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=8
    ivtype='long', ivsize=4, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, Off_t='off_t',
+ lseeksize=8
    alignbytes=8, prototype=define
  Linker and Libraries:
    ld='ld', ldflags =' -brtl -b32'
    libpth=/lib /usr/lib /usr/ccs/lib
    libs=-lbind -lnsl -ldbm -ldl -lld -lm -lpthreads -lc_r -lcrypt -lb
+sd -lPW
    perllibs=-lbind -lnsl -ldl -lld -lm -lpthreads -lc_r -lcrypt -lbsd
+ -lPW
    libc=/lib/libc.a, so=a, useshrplib=true, libperl=libperl.a
    gnulibc_version=''
  Dynamic Linking:
    dlsrc=dl_aix.xs, dlext=so, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags='  -bE:/usr/
+opt/perl5/lib/5.8.0/aix-thread-multi/CORE/perl.exp'
    cccdlflags=' ', lddlflags='-bhalt:4 -bM:SRE -bI:$(PERL_INC)/perl.e
+xp -bE:$(BASEEXT).exp -bnoentry -lpthreads -lc_r'


Characteristics of this binary (from libperl):
  Compile-time options: MULTIPLICITY USE_ITHREADS USE_LARGE_FILES PERL
+_IMPLICIT_CONTEXT
  Built under aix
  Compiled at Jul 26 2002 13:48:15
  @INC:
    /usr/opt/perl5/lib/5.8.0/aix-thread-multi
    /usr/opt/perl5/lib/5.8.0
    /usr/opt/perl5/lib/site_perl/5.8.0/aix-thread-multi
    /usr/opt/perl5/lib/site_perl/5.8.0
    /usr/opt/perl5/lib/site_perl
[download]

Apart from the fact that it's 5.8.0 instead of 5.8.6 it is really not the same as the linux one :|