Installing software to /usr/local or /opt?

General · 06-15-2010, 06:51 PM

I want to install some extra software on my Debian system (TexLive and NLTK) for which I can't find recent versions in the repositories. Both use their script-based installers. Where is the best place to put these on a Debian system? /usr/local/ or /opt or another place? Is that best I use ROOT or does that not matter?

AlucardZero · 06-15-2010, 06:56 PM

It's up to you; both work.

http://tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Filesystem-Hierarchy/html/

sycamorex · 06-15-2010, 06:59 PM

If you want your newly-installed packages not to interfere with the package manager, it'd probably be better to install them in /opt.

If you install it as root, you'll install it system-wide (for all users). When some apps let you install it as a user, it's going to be only for that particular user.
AFAIK, if you want to install it in /usr/local or /opt, you'll have to be root (because of permissions on that directories)

pljvaldez · 06-15-2010, 07:20 PM

My

-- I install to /opt for all users or to /home/opt for just me...

evo2 · 06-15-2010, 10:20 PM

Some things to consider. If the software you plan to install wants all its files in a single directory you are probably better to use /opt/. Eg

Code:

/opt/PackageThatDoesNotUnderstandFSH-1.3

Then you need to add and entry to your $PATH and perhaps $LD_LIBRARY path etc.

If your package does understand FSH then you may find it better to install in /usr/local/

Eg.

Code:

cd /usr/local/src
mkdir baz
cd baz
wget http://foo.bar/download/baz-1.2.tar.gz
tar xzf baz-1.2.tar.gz
cd baz-1.2
./configure --prefix=/usr/local
make
getroot make install

Where I have assumed that your user has write permission to /usr/local/src and that "getroot" is sudo or su or whatever.

If using /usr/local and you think you may want to upgrade baz-1.2 to baz-1.3 or later you may want to consider using stow which does a kind of simplistic package management within /usr/local (or anywhere else) using symlinks.

Cheers,

Evo2.

rkelsen · 06-15-2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sycamorex

If you want your newly-installed packages not to interfere with the package manager, it'd probably be better to install them in /opt.

+1

evo2 · 06-15-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sycamorex

If you want your newly-installed packages not to interfere with the package manager, it'd probably be better to install them in /opt.

The package manager should not be using /usr/local either. ... but this may be distro specific. Also distros may have a policy on where packges should and should not install files to, but it will depend on the package actually respecting the policy.

Quote:

If you install it as root, you'll install it system-wide (for all users).
AFAIK, if you want to install it in /usr/local or /opt, you'll have to be root (because of permissions on that directories)

Strickly speaking it depends on your setup. For example on all my systems /usr/local is writable by members of the staff group.

Quote:

When some apps let you install it as a user, it's going to be only for that particular user.

That again depends on file permissions not on who does the installation.

Evo2.

Elv13 · 06-15-2010, 11:17 PM

The way I see it is:
/usr/local is a prefix for compiled apps, it host a usr/,bin/,sbin/,lib/,include/...(all other). /opt have one folder per apps with their own prefix inside. /usr/local is a mess while /opt can stay clean quite easilly. I know it is not officially like that, just like /var vs /srv for data, but as compiled packages tend to prefix themselves to /usr/local, it is quite common to see this kind of setup.