Linux From Scratch - Version 12.0

Chapter 8. Installing Basic System Software

8.16. Expect-5.45.4

The Expect package contains tools for automating, via scripted dialogues, interactive applications such as telnet, ftp, passwd, fsck, rlogin, and tip. Expect is also useful for testing these same applications as well as easing all sorts of tasks that are prohibitively difficult with anything else. The DejaGnu framework is written in Expect.

Approximate build time: 0.2 SBU
Required disk space: 3.9 MB

8.16.1. Installation of Expect

Prepare Expect for compilation: 

./configure --prefix=/usr           \
            --with-tcl=/usr/lib     \
            --enable-shared         \
            --mandir=/usr/share/man \
            --with-tclinclude=/usr/include

The meaning of the configure options:

--with-tcl=/usr/lib

This parameter is needed to tell configure where the tclConfig.sh script is located.

--with-tclinclude=/usr/include

This explicitly tells Expect where to find Tcl's internal headers.

Build the package: 

make
[Important]

Important

The test suite for Expect is considered critical. Do not skip it under any circumstances.

To test the results, issue: 

make test

If any test fails with the message “The system has no more ptys. Ask your system administrator to create more”, it indicates you've not mounted the devpts file system correctly. You need to exit from the chroot environment, read Section 7.3, “Preparing Virtual Kernel File Systems” again, and ensure the devpts file system (and other virtual kernel file systems) mounted correctly. Then reenter the chroot environment following Section 7.4, “Entering the Chroot Environment”. This issue needs to be resolved before continuing.

Install the package: 

make install
ln -svf expect5.45.4/libexpect5.45.4.so /usr/lib

8.16.2. Contents of Expect

Installed program: expect
Installed library: libexpect5.45.4.so

Short Descriptions

expect

Communicates with other interactive programs according to a script

libexpect-5.45.4.so

Contains functions that allow Expect to be used as a Tcl extension or to be used directly from C or C++ (without Tcl)