Rcpp on Solaris

Question

I am trying to compile Rcpp_0.9.7 from source on sparc-sun-solaris2.10. I am getting the following error when I try to use install.packages:

sh: make: not found

ERROR: compilation failed for package 'Rcpp'

From research on the internet, it appears others have had similar problems with solaris. Unfortunately I do not know very much about which compilers I should or should not be using. One thing I am beginning to realize, however, is that solaris seems to be a sub-optimal environment for running R (in terms of performance as well as convenience).

Answer 1

Solaris can mean different things: it could be Solaris on x86, or Solaris on Sparc.

According to the Rcpp build results page on CRAN, Rcpp does now build on x86 Solaris (thanks to a recent patch by Martyn Plummer) but not Sparc Solaris. We were just discussing that this week on the rcpp-devel list.

As for your error, you are lacking critical components, namely the make tool. You likely lack more. Your conclusion is correct, though. Depending your level of Unix knowledge, you may be best off to simply install Ubuntu and enjoy tens of thousands of pre-built packages, including R and well over a hundred related packages.

Answer 2

Not really a solution but too long for a comment.

First of all get a decent environment for your testing of building Rccp on Solaris. Personally I use VirtualBox on my Windows workstation. This way I have an environment that I can control myself and do not depend on any grumpy SysAdmin. Best of all: there's no cost involved! When you are confident with your build you can either (1) move the binaries over to your target host or (2) replicate the build setup on your target host.

Secondly you can use these instructions to set up a proper build host on Solaris. (you seem to be lacking some crucial tools!). Remember to use gmake when building as per the instructions in the posting.

Answer 3

As Dirk mentioned, you're lacking the make command. If you're running Solaris 10 or earlier, then you need to find your installation media and pkgadd SUNWsprot.

If you're running Solaris 11 or later, then

pkg install developer/build/make

will get you that utility. You probably need the system headers as well, which are in pkg://solaris/system/header for Solaris 11 and later, or SUNWhea in earlier releases.

I see that you mention sparc-sun-solaris2.10 in your question - is there any opportunity for you to update to Solaris 11 or later? The developer environment is muchmuch nicer in the newer releases. Certainly easier to get a copy of a compiler....