Hi. I've got this situation where I want to compile and install something in a local user account (I don't have root privileges). However, the gnu libc version on the system is too old for the software I want to install. (The system has 2.5, I need at least 2.7.) I am wondering how feasible it is to install my own version of gnu libc locally, and use it. I have installed a lot of software locally like this, but never anything as low level as libc.

In general, it's not a good idea, but if you keep it in /home/user, and you have the space, you could build a whole OS in /home. I can see problems ahead, but it should be possible to build. Running might be a different issue.

Also : Most often the software can be build for your OS.
To fit your system libc.

Which software is it about ?

You should be able to do that. It can probably be accomplished most readily by using the '--prefix=' option to the libc 'configure' step when building your upgraded libc. Make it point to somewhere in your private directory structure. When you build your application, you will need to coerce it to point at the upgraded libc. Without knowing how the application builds, about the best advice I could give would be to add something like 'LDFLAGS+=-L /your/private/libc/directory' to the make commandline. There may be better ways that end up with the additional commands codified in the build system.

--- rod.