macports without root?

[Salvatore Domenick Desiano]

I tried, for a while, to run MacPorts without root, but it ends up being
more trouble than its worth. A fair number of packages (like mysql) just
can't install without adding users or making priviledged files. Most
will build without root, so you can do port build as user and port
install as root, but even that runs into problems. I also suspect that a
number of undiagnosed problems with my install stem from packages being
built as a user (even though it shouldn't matter).

The short version is that I don't think we have a stable system that can
be run strictly as a user, and that the changes required to make one go
far beyond MacPorts and into the individual packages, themselves.

Just my 2c.

-- Sal
smile.




On Sun, 15 Oct 2006, Daniel J. Luke wrote:

o On Oct 14, 2006, at 8:59 PM, Paul M. Lambert wrote:
o > I'm trying to build a macports installation that runs entirely out
o > of a user's home directory.
o >
o > I've compiled macports without launchd support, and set the install
o > user and group to the appropriate user.
o >
o > However, when I try to run "port install mysql5" it fails,
o > apparently because it's trying to chown a file to root.
o >
o > Is this a problem with that port, or does macports require root in
o > general?
o
o It looks like the server variant of that port wants to set everything
o up for a 'normal' mysql server install.
o
o You could probably run the regular (non-server) variant and then
o configure mysql how you want it after the install without needing root.
o
o > If it's the latter, any suggestions on how I could go about
o > patching it to allow fully non-root user installations?
o
o I think most of the issues you will find will be with individual
o ports, but I don't know if anyone else is still running macports as
o non-root, so you could stumble across other issues that we haven't
o seen before.
o
o --
o Daniel J. Luke
o +========================================================+
o | *---------------- dluke at geeklair.net ----------------* |
o | *-------------- http://www.geeklair.net -------------* |
o +========================================================+
o |   Opinions expressed are mine and do not necessarily   |
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o
o
o

--------------
  Salvatore Domenick Desiano
    Doctoral Candidate
      Robotics Institute
        Carnegie Mellon University