linuxcnc on arch, specifically SIM

So I am wanting to get SIM up and running on my new arch install, as I am trying really hard to mirgrate away from ubuntu. My shop computer still runs ubuntu and will untill a full release, but that is neither here nor there currently.

Anyways the current build instructions don't seem apropriate for an arch system, and I can't find any arch-specific guides on how to do this. CAN it be done currently? is it beyone the average user? if I succede I will try and write up a guide, but without help I am pretty confident I will fail. otherwise it lookes like a VM is in my future.

Hi,

If you want to use Arch Linux, I am afraid you are on your own.
You will be able to build sources but you will probably have difficulties getting all the required libraries built and in place.

If you want a lighter distro, I would suggest using Debian and customising it.
That is what I have done, I lost patience with Ubuntu's slow clunky gnome interface a long time back.

With a fast window manager and minimal display manager, Debian 7 runs fine on a P4, all my workshop machines run it

regards

I was afraid of that. The shop PC will always run the suggested/supported OS so I guess Debian it will be in the future, but at home I runarch and needed a sim, dang. I'll probably try for another day or two before I quit. I just can't quite figure out how to check all dependencies.

I just can't quite figure out how to check all dependencies.

On most systems ldd will list the dependencies of a binary or lib

That side of it is really the strength of Debian and Ubuntu and other distros which are based on Debian.
The package management plus the huge number of pre compiled libraries makes it much easier to get things running.

I can remember the days, not that long back, when you had to download the sources and compile your own libs for anything a bit out of the ordinary.

Another way to get a picture of what dependencies you might need, is to use your existing Ubuntu installation and use apt-rdepends on a package, say the buildbot sim package
That will give you quite a lot of info on the dependency chain
www.howtoforge.com/finding-out-package-d...nds-on-debian-ubuntu

regards

mannnnn, I spent the last two months getting my feet under me in arch, but nowthat I am having trouble building both linuxcnc and slic3r, my sails arequite deflated. I am thinking a non-ubuntu debian distro is calling my name. I was hoping learning arch would make mea man, instead it looks like it cost me a month or so of my life.

we'll give it another week or two before I make up my mind. no sim I can live with, but I need slic3r on my workhorse again.

yeah I guess so, I might roll that out onall my machiens this week. Either that or virtual box. I am too injured to work currently, so computer games are a good use of time till I heal enough to get back into the shop

Hi,

there's a package for linuxcnc-sim in AUR:
aur.archlinux.org/packages/linuxcnc-sim

If you have yaourt installed you can do:add this to PKGBUILD at the end of package():
Then type:
Built today, works well.

However I have some trouble building the RTAI version, but that's another story.

Hi again,

I just managed to build and run linuxcnc 2.7.0 (well, git master) on Archlinux with RTAI 4.0.

Here are the necessary changes:
1/ fix python path to use python2
2/ fix src/hal/Submakefile to link to the RTAI libs
3/ fix src/task/Submakefile to link to the RTAI libs
(patch attached for RTAI installed in /opt/rtai)

Then build with:
.(change /opt/rtai with wherever your realtime lies)

sample PKGBUILD also attached.

This assumes you already have a RTAI kernel up and running (don't forget to edit /etc/ld.so.conf for /opt/rtai/lib)

@cgo

thank for your work, currntly its the most info i found on the subject
but still.. i would appreciate if you could expand on this. im running arch for a few weeks...

1. how did you get RTAI to work ? did you use the AUR method?
aur.archlinux.org/packages/rtai-kernel/
i dont want to install this as it was last touched at 2011

here is where i got so far

1. clone from git
# cd /usr/local/bin
# git clone git://git.linuxcnc.org/git/linuxcnc.git linuxcnc-dev

i hope with the community help we can get this working for all (me:))