CPANPLUS - what if "later" never comes? [SOLVED]

locked_user sundialsvc4 has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I am becoming very suspicious in noticing that, every single time I install a package ... it seems to say that List::Util “needs to be upgraded,” ... and every time, it says that it has done so....

But the behavior that actually happens on this system is not like what happens on that one over there!

On this system, the installation (of the package that says it needs List::Util...) ends like this:

*** Since we're running under CPANPLUS, I'll just let it take care
    of the dependency's installation later.
Appending installation info to [...]<code>local-perl/lib/perl/5.8/perl
+local.pod
  RIBASUSHI/DBIx-Class-0.08012.tar.gz
  /usr/bin/make install SITEPREFIX=~/local-perl -- OK
[download]

(Portions of path-name in the foregoing were elided...out, for brevity. These literal characters, “[...]” do not appear.)

When I do force install List::Util, I get this, instead of obedience:

Running install for module 'List::Util'
Running make for G/GB/GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz
  Has already been unwrapped into directory [...]/.cpan/build/Scalar-L
+ist-Utils-1.19-ouGyBd
  Has already been made
Running make test
  Has already been tested successfully
Running make install
Prepending [...]/.cpan/build/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19-ouGyBd/blib/arch [
+...]/htdocs/.cpan/build/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19-ouGyBd/blib/lib to PER
+L5LIB for 'install'
Files found in blib/arch: installing files in blib/lib into architectu
+re dependent library tree
Appending installation info to [...]/local-perl/lib/perl/5.8/perllocal
+.pod
  GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz
  /usr/bin/make install SITEPREFIX=~/local-perl -- OK
[download]

Per contra, on “that computer over there,” List::Util is obediently and promptly reinstalled, just as I asked it to do:

Running install for module 'List::Util'
Running make for G/GB/GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz
Fetching with LWP:
...
[download]

“Waitaminnit,” he growled. “This could explain a helluva lot of weird things that have been happenin’ around these parts lately. Uh huh... siddown... I wanna talk to yew, boy...”

What's happening (or rather, not happening here... and why?)

Update: (Now I am really confused...) When I exited cpan and re-entered it, on the same system, force install List::Util did so. In other words, I don't think it ever actually did so until I exited and re-entered cpan and made this request as my first request during that session. Which rather seems to beg the question: what software, of the software that I have from time-to-time requested to be installed here, actually has been installed here?

Update (2): (Now I am really-really confused...)

force install List::Util
...
  CPAN.pm: Going to build G/GB/GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz
...
Prepending [...]/htdocs/.cpan/build/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19-b_EHSL/blib
+/arch /kunden/homepages/32/d209022380/htdocs/.cpan/build/Scalar-List-
+Utils-1.19-b_EHSL/blib/lib to PERL5LIB for 'install'
Files found in blib/arch: installing files in blib/lib into architectu
+re dependent library tree
Appending installation info to [...]/htdocs/local-perl/lib/perl/5.8/pe
+rllocal.pod
  GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz
  /usr/bin/make install SITEPREFIX=~/local-perl -- OK
[download]

However...

m /List::Util/
CPAN: Storable loaded ok (v2.16)
Going to read [...]/htdocs/.cpan/Metadata
  Database was generated on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:28:36 GMT
Module  < List::Util             (GBARR/Scalar-List-Utils-1.19.tar.gz)
[download]

So... CPAN is plainly telling me that List::Util has not been seen as upgraded!

I am beginning to suspect the CPAN configuration, which on “that” (working...) system looks like:

    commit             [Commit changes to disk]
    defaults           [Reload defaults from disk]
    help               [Short help about 'o conf' usage]
    init               [Interactive setting of all options]

    applypatch         []
    auto_commit        [0]
    build_cache        [10]
    build_dir          [/home/mike/.cpan/build]
    build_dir_reuse    [1]
    build_requires_install_policy [ask/yes]
    bzip2              [/bin/bzip2]
    cache_metadata     [1]
    check_sigs         [0]
    colorize_debug     undef
    colorize_output    [0]
    colorize_print     undef
    colorize_warn      undef
    commandnumber_in_prompt [1]
    commands_quote     undef
    connect_to_internet_ok undef
    cpan_home          [/home/mike/.cpan]
    curl               [/usr/bin/curl]
    dontload_hash
    dontload_list      undef
    ftp                [/usr/bin/ftp]
    ftp_passive        [1]
    ftp_proxy          []
    ftpstats_period    undef
    ftpstats_size      undef
    getcwd             [cwd]
    gpg                [/usr/bin/gpg]
    gzip               [/bin/gzip]
    halt_on_failure    undef
    histfile           [/home/mike/.cpan/histfile]
    histsize           [100]
    http_proxy         []
    inactivity_timeout [0]
    index_expire       [1]
    inhibit_startup_message [0]
    keep_source_where  [/home/mike/.cpan/sources]
    load_module_verbosity [v]
    lynx               [/usr/bin/lynx]
    make               [/usr/bin/make]
    make_arg           []
    make_install_arg   [SITEPREFIX=/var/www/perl5]
    make_install_make_command [/usr/bin/make]
    makepl_arg         [PREFIX=/var/www/perl5]
    mbuild_arg         []
    mbuild_install_arg []
    mbuild_install_build_command [./Build]
    mbuildpl_arg       [--install-base /var/www/perl5]
    ncftp              []
    ncftpget           []
    no_proxy           []
    pager              [/usr/bin/less]
    password           undef
    patch              [/usr/bin/patch]
    perl5lib_verbosity undef
    prefer_installer   [MB]
    prefs_dir          []
    prerequisites_policy [ask]
    proxy_pass         undef
    proxy_user         undef
    randomize_urllist  undef
    scan_cache         [atstart]
    shell              [/bin/bash]
    show_unparsable_versions [0]
    show_upload_date   [0]
    show_zero_versions [0]
    tar                [/bin/tar]
    tar_verbosity      [v]
    term_is_latin      [1]
    term_ornaments     [1]
    test_report        [0]
    trust_test_report_history undef
    unzip              [/usr/bin/unzip]
    urllist
        0 [http://www.perl.com/CPAN/]
        1 [ftp://cpan.cs.utah.edu/pub/CPAN/]
    use_sqlite         [0]
    username           undef
    wait_list          undef
    wget               [/usr/bin/wget]
    yaml_load_code     [0]
    yaml_module        [YAML::Syck]
[download]

and on the failing (shared-host) system looks like this:

    commit             [Commit changes to disk]
    defaults           [Reload defaults from disk]
    help               [Short help about 'o conf' usage]
    init               [Interactive setting of all options]

    applypatch         undef
    auto_commit        [0]
    build_cache        [10]
    build_dir          [/kunden/homepages/32/d209022380/htdocs/.cpan/b
+uild]
    build_dir_reuse    undef
    build_requires_install_policy undef
    bzip2              undef
    cache_metadata     [1]
    check_sigs         undef
    colorize_debug     undef
    colorize_output    undef
    colorize_print     undef
    colorize_warn      undef
    commandnumber_in_prompt [1]
    commands_quote     undef
    connect_to_internet_ok undef
    cpan_home          [/kunden/homepages/32/d209022380/htdocs/.cpan]
    curl               undef
    dontload_hash
    dontload_list      undef
    ftp                [/usr/bin/ftp]
    ftp_passive        [1]
    ftp_proxy          []
    ftpstats_period    undef
    ftpstats_size      undef
    getcwd             [cwd]
    gpg                undef
    gzip               [/bin/gzip]
    halt_on_failure    undef
    histfile           undef
    histsize           undef
    http_proxy         []
    inactivity_timeout [0]
    index_expire       [1]
    inhibit_startup_message [0]
    keep_source_where  [/kunden/homepages/32/d209022380/htdocs/.cpan/s
+ources]
    load_module_verbosity undef
    lynx               [/usr/bin/lynx]
    make               [/usr/bin/make]
    make_arg           []
    make_install_arg   [SITEPREFIX=~/local-perl]
    make_install_make_command [/usr/bin/make]
    makepl_arg         [PREFIX=~/local-perl]
    mbuild_arg         []
    mbuild_install_arg []
    mbuild_install_build_command [./Build]
    mbuildpl_arg       [--install-base ~/local-perl]
    ncftp              undef
    ncftpget           [/usr/bin/ncftpget]
    no_proxy           []
    pager              [less]
    password           undef
    patch              undef
    perl5lib_verbosity undef
    prefer_installer   undef
    prefs_dir          undef
    prerequisites_policy [ask]
    proxy_pass         undef
    proxy_user         undef
    randomize_urllist  undef
    scan_cache         [atstart]
    shell              [/bin/bash]
    show_unparsable_versions undef
    show_upload_date   [0]
    show_zero_versions undef
    tar                [/bin/tar]
    tar_verbosity      undef
    term_is_latin      [1]
    term_ornaments     [1]
    test_report        undef
    trust_test_report_history undef
    unzip              [/usr/bin/unzip]
    urllist
        0 [http://www.perl.com/CPAN/]
        1 [ftp://osl.uoregon.edu/CPAN/]
    use_sqlite         [0]
    username           undef
    wait_list
        0 [wait://ls6.informatik.uni-dortmund.de:1404]
    wget               [/usr/bin/wget]
    yaml_load_code     undef
    yaml_module        [YAML::Syck]
[download]

In short, I now openly suspect that the root cause of my bewildering problems with DBD::mysql in this environment might well actually be caused by this. But I do not know what the proper incantation and mutterings ought to be.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: CPANPLUS - what if "later" never comes? by jhourcle (Prior) on Mar 02, 2009 at 16:54 UTC
This is just a guess -- Perhaps there's an old version of List::Utils installed that's getting found, but not replaced? I keep the following shell script for diagnostic purposes: `#!/bin/sh echo 'print map { sprintf( "%20s : %s\n", $_, $INC{$_} ) } sort keys % +INC; print "\n'$1' version : $'$1'::VERSION\n\n"' \| perl "-M$1"` [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: CPANPLUS - what if "later" never comes? by locked_user sundialsvc4 (Abbot) on Mar 02, 2009 at 17:26 UTC
Well, “something vewy skwewy is happening around here,” as my good friend Elmer Fudd would say. When I cast-about on the `.cpan` library on “this” system, with `find . -iname \list\ \| grep -i util`, I see files like `./lib/perl/5.6.1/auto/List/Util/.packlist` ... on a Perl 5.8.8 system. On “that” system, which works, there are none. Likewise, in the CPAN target-directory I see the files and directories like `./lib/perl/5.6.1/auto/List/Util/.packlist` and `./share/perl/5.8/ExtUtils/Liblist`. In other words, to my view, neither a `5.6.1` nor a `5.8` subdirectory belong there or are intended to be there. So, dimly revealing itself at long last, I believe that I am looking at the true root cause of so many of my problems. I see that I have a seriously ... ahhh ... “borked up” `:-D` ... local-perl directory here! It does not look at all like I thought it should, nor that I intended for it to be. I really don't understand how it got to be that way, nor how to fix it now. Oh, I'm sure it must be `o conf makepl_args`, et al... I'm intending to be running my own CPAN-module installation, local to this particular web-site, set-up as I described in my sister-thread on “XS modules and CGI,” and I now see that I have not done so quite-correctly. There must be some gap in my understanding which didn't really matter ... until now. (Please refer to that thread for more background info about what I am trying to do here.)
Re: CPANPLUS - what if "later" never comes? [SOLVED] by locked_user sundialsvc4 (Abbot) on Mar 04, 2009 at 01:52 UTC
To close this thread: there's “a wrong way” and “a right way” to do many things in this life. “Both of them work,” but one of them works much better. Such is the case here. For `o conf makepl_arg`, “the wrong way” is to use `PREFIX=`, as I had done, and “the right way” is to use `SITEPREFIX=` instead. “I over-simplify, of course,” but if you do have the luxury of choice, this is a better arrangement. To make this problem “really go away for good,” I basically wiped-out the old `site-perl` directory and rebuilt it after making this configuration-change. The resulting directory structure was vastly simpler and more sane, and the problems that started this thread went away and never came back.
Re: CPANPLUS - what if "later" never comes? by Anonymous Monk on Mar 03, 2009 at 08:22 UTC
Module::Buil option --install_base is not equivalent to ExtUtils::MakeMaker option PREFIX, but --prefix is equivalent.	[reply]