[Chicago-talk] Stealth Perl Install and then the old swap-a-roo?

[Steven Lembark]

-- jason gessner <jason at multiply.org>

> Hi All.
>
> This is what I want to do and how I propose I do it:
>
> Want:
> replace perl 5.6.1 on my redhat 7.2 box with 5.8.2
>
> Proposed steps
> 1)	build 5.8.2 in a local director (/home/jason/perl5.8.2
> 2)	test it
> 3)	use that perl to install all of the modules I need
> 4)	remove all RPMs that rely on perl
> 5)	move this perl into place on top of the other perl
>
> thoughts?
>
> 1 and 2 completed with no errors, BTW.


use a prefix of /opt/perl/5.8.1. Test it with
#!/opt/perl/5.8.1/bin/perl until you're happy.

then:

	cd /opt/perl;
	rm -f *;
	ln -fs 5.8.1/* .;

One time only:

	cd /opt/bin/;
	ln -fs ../perl/bin/* .;

and add /opt/bin/ at the top of your path.


To test, say, 5.8.2 on the box follow the exact same steps
as for 5.8.1 exept for the path that is symlinked up a level.
If you long for 5.8.1 a week after making the symlink then
just re-make the symlinks in /opt/perl. That's why the LFS
and SVR4 use a version number in the standard install paths
(honered more in the breach, I admit).

You might not want to pull all the perly RPM's. Better to
leave the vendor's perl in place as-is and just update your
optional copy. If you update the /usr/bin/perl link and it
doesn't break anything then rpm -e -nodeps perl-blah and
leave it at that (if you really need the space that badly).

--
Steven Lembark                               2930 W. Palmer
Workhorse Computing                       Chicago, IL 60647
                                            +1 888 359 3508