CheckInstall

Last updated
CheckInstall
Original author(s) Felipe Sánchez
Stable release
1.6.2 / December 26, 2009;9 years ago (2009-12-26)
Repository
OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Platform Unix-like
Type Software management
License GNU General Public License
Website asic-linux.com.mx/~izto/checkinstall/

CheckInstall is a computer program for Unix-like operating systems which eases the installation and uninstallation of software compiled from source by making use of package management systems. After software compilation it can automatically generate a Slackware-, RPM-, or Debian-compatible package that can later be cleanly uninstalled through the appropriate package manager. [1]

Unix-like Operating system that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system

A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. A Unix-like application is one that behaves like the corresponding Unix command or shell. There is no standard for defining the term, and some difference of opinion is possible as to the degree to which a given operating system or application is "Unix-like".

Slackware Linux distribution (operating system)

Slackware is a Linux distribution created by Patrick Volkerding in 1993. Originally based on Softlanding Linux System, Slackware has been the basis for many other Linux distributions, most notably the first versions of SUSE Linux distributions, and is the oldest distribution that is still maintained.

RPM Package Manager software package management system

RPM Package Manager (RPM) is a free and open-source package management system. The name RPM refers to .rpm file format and the package manager program itself. RPM was intended primarily for Linux distributions; the file format is the baseline package format of the Linux Standard Base.

Contents

CheckInstall monitors the installation phase of a normal software build process and notes the files that are added to the system. It then builds a package that contains these files, using additional information gathered from the user. Finally, the files installed by the original run are removed and the package is installed using the system package tools, so the package will be properly registered in the local installed packages database.

The primary benefits provided by CheckInstall versus simply running make install are the ability to remove the package from the system using the system packaging tools, and the ability to install the resulting package on multiple machines. [2] [3] CheckInstall is sometimes cited as a mechanism for creating packages by open source projects instead of creating numerous platform-specific build packages. [4] [5]

Usage

Checkinstall is usually used after running a configure script and make, as follows:

configure script

A configure script is an executable script designed to aid in developing a program to be run on a wide number of different computers. It matches the libraries on the user's computer, with those required by the program before compiling it from its source code.

In software development, Make is a build automation tool that automatically builds executable programs and libraries from source code by reading files called Makefiles which specify how to derive the target program. Though integrated development environments and language-specific compiler features can also be used to manage a build process, Make remains widely used, especially in Unix and Unix-like operating systems.

./configure make sudo checkinstall

After entering some information about the author and a package description, you will get the folder where the generated package has been saved to.

See also

Installwatch is a program designed to make it easier to catalog and maintain software installed from source code. Originally developed as a stand-alone project, Installwatch now exists primarily as a component of CheckInstall.

Alien is a computer program that converts between different Linux package formats, created by Joey Hess and presently maintained by Kyle Barry.

sudo Command on Unix systems to temporarily assume root privileges

sudo is a program for Unix-like computer operating systems that allows users to run programs with the security privileges of another user, by default the superuser. It originally stood for "superuser do" as the older versions of sudo were designed to run commands only as the superuser. However, the later versions added support for running commands not only as the superuser but also as other (restricted) users, and thus it is also commonly expanded as "substitute user do". Although the latter case reflects its current functionality more accurately, sudo is still often called "superuser do" since it is so often used for administrative tasks.

Related Research Articles

Linux distribution Operating system based on the Linux kernel

A Linux distribution is an operating system made from a software collection, which is based upon the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading one of the Linux distributions, which are available for a wide variety of systems ranging from embedded devices and personal computers to powerful supercomputers.

Package manager software tools for handling software packages

A package manager or package-management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner.

YaST free software

YaST is a Linux operating system setup and configuration tool.

GNU Autoconf is a tool for producing configure scripts for building, installing and packaging software on computer systems where a Bourne shell is available.

GNU Autotools

The GNU Autotools, also known as the GNU Build System, is a suite of programming tools designed to assist in making source code packages portable to many Unix-like systems.

APT (software) Free software package management system

Advanced Package Tool, or APT, is a free-software user interface that works with core libraries to handle the installation and removal of software on Debian, Ubuntu, and related Linux distributions. APT simplifies the process of managing software on Unix-like computer systems by automating the retrieval, configuration and installation of software packages, either from precompiled files or by compiling source code.

dpkg is the software at the base of the package management system in the free operating system Debian and its numerous derivatives. dpkg is used to install, remove, and provide information about .deb packages.

Installation of a computer program, is the act of making the program ready for execution. Installation refers to the particular configuration of a software or hardware with a view to making it usable with the computer. A soft or digital copy of the piece of software (program) is needed to install it. There are different processes of installing a piece of software (program). Because the process varies for each program and each computer, programs often come with an installer, a specialised program responsible for doing whatever is needed for the installation. Installation may be part of a larger software deployment process.

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Windows Installer

Windows Installer is a software component and application programming interface (API) of Microsoft Windows used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software. The installation information, and optionally the files themselves, are packaged in installation packages, loosely relational databases structured as COM Structured Storages and commonly known as "MSI files", from their default filename extensions. Windows Installer contains significant changes from its predecessor, Setup API. New features include a GUI framework and automatic generation of the uninstallation sequence. Windows Installer is positioned as an alternative to stand-alone executable installer frameworks such as older versions of InstallShield and NSIS.

menuconfig

make menuconfig is one of five similar tools that can configure Linux source, a necessary early step needed to compile the source code. make menuconfig, with a menu-driven user interface, allows the user to choose the features of Linux that will be compiled. It is normally invoked using the command make menuconfig, menuconfig is a target in Linux Makefile.

Software Distributor (SD) is the Hewlett-Packard company's name for their HP-UX software package management system.

AppImage

AppImage is a format for distributing portable software on Linux without needing superuser permissions to install the application. It tries also to allow Linux distribution-agnostic binary software deployment for application developers, also called Upstream packaging. Released first in 2004 under the name klik, it was continuously developed, then renamed in 2011 to PortableLinuxApps and later in 2013 to AppImage.

BioLinux is a term used in a variety of projects involved in making access to bioinformatics software on a Linux platform easier using one or more of the following methods:

The Environment Modules system is a tool to help users manage their Unix or Linux shell environment, by allowing groups of related environment-variable settings to be made or removed dynamically.

The Debian build toolchain is a collection of software utilities used to create Debian source packages (.dsc) and Debian binary packages from upstream source tarballs.

Void Linux Linux distribution

Void Linux is an independent Linux distribution that uses the X Binary Package System (XBPS) package manager, which was designed and implemented from scratch, and the runit init system. Excluding binary kernel blobs, a base install is composed entirely of free software, but users can access an official non-free repository to install proprietary software.

Elive Linux distribution

Elive is a non-commercial Linux distribution based on Debian and uses Enlightenment as user interface.

References

  1. ↑ Sánchez, Felipe. "CheckInstall Homepage" . Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  2. ↑ Schroder, Carla (2009), Linux Cookbook, O'Reilly, pp. 56–57, ISBN   0-596-00640-3
  3. ↑ Kemp, Steve. "Debian Administration" . Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  4. ↑ Reingart, Mariano. "wxPyWiki" . Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  5. ↑ "emergent Neural Network Simulation System". Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
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