MCPAN install seems impossible

stattler has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Dear learned monks, please forgive a poor sinners ignorance........ When I try to install any perl module from cpan I get the following error:

CPAN.pm: Going to build whatever/module
-- NOT OK
Running make test
Can't test without successful make
Running make install
make had returned bad status, install seems impossible
[download]

I'm running solaris 9, Perl 5.84, cpan shell is v1.7601 I have tried deleting /.cpan but that didn't help. cpan> o conf revealed that there was no make set, so I did cpan o conf make /usr/share/lib/make but that didn't help. (same error) Any ideas or advice? I fear a flogging from my political masters..... Cheers! S

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Re: MCPAN install seems impossible by rinceWind (Monsignor) on Dec 20, 2005 at 10:25 UTC
Can you build modules by hand? From the CPAN shell prompt, try the following: `CPAN> look Whatever::Module perl Makefile.PL make make test sudo make install` [download] If you're not getting as far as "make test", you probably need to install some gnu tools. If the manual install works, you need to review your CPAN config with "o conf". -- Oh Lord, won’t you burn me a Knoppix CD ? My friends all rate Windows, I must disagree. Your powers of persuasion will set them all free, So oh Lord, won’t you burn me a Knoppix CD ? (Missquoting Janis Joplin)	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: MCPAN install seems impossible by stattler (Initiate) on Dec 20, 2005 at 11:31 UTC
<code>Interesting. look blah works perl Makefile.PL works make fails with make: not found I guess I should get gcc installed as a next step? (this is a default solaris install with just the basics that come as part of the CD) S<\code>	[reply]
Re^3: MCPAN install seems impossible by Corion (Patriarch) on Dec 20, 2005 at 14:19 UTC
Before you go onto the quest of trying to install `gcc`, please check what C compiler was used to compile your version of Perl. If your version of Perl comes from http://sunfreeware.com, then getting the compiler from there should work for you. If your Perl was compiled using the forté C compiler from Sun, you should also use that compiler for compiling your Perl XS extensions. As a general rule of thumb, you should always use the same compiler for compiling extensions that was used to compile your Perl. In your specific case though, you haven't shown where the error really is. Maybe Perl wants the GNU `make` program or BSD `make` program but doesn't find it. Maybe you need to look at where Perl/CPAN wants its `make` if it's not in the path. I found `/lib/ucb` (or was it `/ucb`) to be full of interesting helper programs, but that might have been my wizardly Sun admin who caters to my every whish.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: MCPAN install seems impossible by Happy-the-monk (Canon) on Dec 20, 2005 at 10:06 UTC
`Can't test without successful make` Have you looked if there actually is a `make` programme on the machine in question? Cheers, Sören	[reply]
Re^2: MCPAN install seems impossible by stattler (Initiate) on Dec 20, 2005 at 10:16 UTC
Yes, there appear to be two: `/usr/share/lib/make and /usr/ccs/bin/make the second one also generates similar errors when I point mcpan conf t +o it.` [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re: MCPAN install seems impossible by jimbus (Friar) on Dec 20, 2005 at 15:43 UTC
I've found that sometimes modules are config for specific systems or the mcpan misses a requirement (or at least thats what authors claim when I write them) and there isn't facility to make the adjustments in the shell. While outside the cpan shell, find the module files (eg: ~/.cpan/build/modulename)and do the perl Makefile.PL/make/make test/make install routine by hand. Even if it fails, you should better input as to the problem or decide to force the install. Jimbus Never moon a werewolf!	[reply]