Howto compile Python 2.3.3 on Fedora Core 1 for AMD64

Requirements

• Python 2.3.3 vanilla source from http://python.org/ftp/python/2.3.3/Python-2.3.3.tgz
• Other files required for this howto from http://longsleep.org/downloads/Python-2.3.3-x86_64-HOWTO.tar.gz
• Fedora Core 1 for AMD64 ¹ running on an AMD Opteron ².
• Development libraries and compiler (gcc) installed.

Verify you really run a 64bit OS

• Look for /lib64 linked libraries in your system software.

[root@wrestling root]# ldd /bin/bash
    libtermcap.so.2 => /lib64/libtermcap.so.2 (0x0000002a9566b000)
    libdl.so.2 => /lib64/libdl.so.2 (0x0000002a9576f000)
    libc.so.6 => /lib64/tls/libc.so.6 (0x0000002a95872000)
    /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 => /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x0000002a95556000)

Compile Python 2.3.3

• Extract the downloaded tarballs to a temporary directory.
• Changedir into that directory.
• Now run the following commands to compile your python.

cd Python-2.3.3
patch -p1 <../patches/python-2.3-config.patch
patch -p1 <../patches/python-2.3.2-lib64.patch

export CFLAGS="-D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC `pkg-config --cflags openssl`"
export CXXFLAGS="-D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC `pkg-config --libs-only-L openssl`"
export OPT="-D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC"
export LINKCC="gcc"
export CC=gcc

./configure --target=/usr/local/python2.3 --enable-ipv6 --enable-unicode=ucs4
make -j4
make install

• The patches are required to make the vanilla python tarball compile. They are taken from the Fedora Core developement trees python-2.3.3 source rpm.
• If the compiling went well you should proceed to the next section, to verify your build.

Verify your 64bit Python

• Check that your python is linked against 64 bit libraries.

[root@wrestling root]# ldd /usr/local/python2.3/bin/python2.3
    libpthread.so.0 => /lib64/tls/libpthread.so.0 (0x0000002a9566b000)
    libdl.so.2 => /lib64/libdl.so.2 (0x0000002a9577f000)
    libutil.so.1 => /lib64/libutil.so.1 (0x0000002a95882000)
    libm.so.6 => /lib64/tls/libm.so.6 (0x0000002a95985000)
    libc.so.6 => /lib64/tls/libc.so.6 (0x0000002a95b0b000)
    /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 => /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x0000002a95556000)

• Check the sys.maxint value.

[root@wrestling root]# /usr/local/python2.3/bin/python2.3
    Python 2.3.3 (#4, Mar 26 2004, 15:53:11)
    [GCC 3.3.2 20031022 (Red Hat Linux 3.3.2-1)] on linux2
    Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
    >>> import sys
    >>> sys.maxint
    9223372036854775807

• Please note that "large file support" is not required on a 64bit system, cause integer itself is 64bit.
• Have fun with 64 bit Python.