I was trying to install the mod_jk connector source on a fresh redhat9 system and the .so file was not getting created. Some research suggested that I needed to update the version of automake I was using so I upgrade from 1.6 to 1.9 via rpm. No errors, no force.

When I went back to start the configure process with the buildconf.sh script I got this response:

rm autom4te.cache
libtoolize --force --automake --copy
aclocal
/usr/share/aclocal/vorbis.m4:9: warning: underquoted definition of XIPH_PATH_VORBIS
run info '(automake)Extending aclocal'
or see sources.redhat.com/automake/automake.html#Extending-aclocal
/usr/share/aclocal/pkg.m4:5: warning: underquoted definition of PKG_CHECK_MODULES
/usr/share/aclocal/ogg.m4:8: warning: underquoted definition of XIPH_PATH_OGG
/usr/share/aclocal/freetype2.m4:7: warning: underquoted definition of AC_CHECK_FT2
autom4te: unknown language: Autoconf-without-aclocal-m4
aclocal: autom4te failed with exit status: 1
autoheader
automake -a --foreign --copy
configure.in:16: version mismatch. This is Automake 1.9.1,
configure.in:16: but the definition used by this AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
configure.in:16: comes from Automake 1.7.2. You should recreate
configure.in:16: aclocal.m4 with aclocal and run automake again.
autoconf
rm autom4te.cache

running the aclocal command I then got this:

/usr/share/aclocal/vorbis.m4:9: warning: underquoted definition of XIPH_PATH_VORBIS
run info '(automake)Extending aclocal'
or see sources.redhat.com/automake/automake.html#Extending-aclocal
/usr/share/aclocal/pkg.m4:5: warning: underquoted definition of PKG_CHECK_MODULES
/usr/share/aclocal/ogg.m4:8: warning: underquoted definition of XIPH_PATH_OGG
/usr/share/aclocal/freetype2.m4:7: warning: underquoted definition of AC_CHECK_FT2
autom4te: unknown language: Autoconf-without-aclocal-m4
aclocal: autom4te failed with exit status: 1

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

try:

automake --version

in a console and see what version is reports

automake (GNU automake) 1.9.1
Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>.

what version of autoconf?

# autoconf --version

autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.57
Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille.

`aclocal-1.8' is running `autom4te --language Autoconf-without-aclocal-m4'.
`autom4te' understands Autoconf-without-aclocal-m4 only since Autoconf 2.58.
So that would be the symptom of an older version of Autoconf being in PATH

somethin I found with a google, worth a shot.

EDIT: disregard that PATH statement, just try to upgrade the one you have installed.

Thanks a ton for your help here.

Please excuse the newbie nature of this question, but what specifically should I do with that? Do I upgrade autoconf?

yes, according to that, only autoconf >= 2.58 understands the command:
Autoconf-without-aclocal-m4

which is your problelm.