Tales of Woe & emc Re: 5-axis machine controller

[Paul Corner <paul.corner-at-tesco.net>]

I've been working on getting the current CVS version installed with SuSE 6.3
using rtlinux-3.0 and the 2.2.17 kernel.
The kernel and rt extensions both compiled without a hitch, resulting in Linus
reminding me on how linux *should* be pronounced.
Downloaded the CVS source of rcs and emc at thr end of last month. Despite
poking around in the .def files that are needed by make, I just could not get
it to compile. Updated the source files last week and again edited the
relavent files and tried again with a clean linux install. Still ended up with
a fatal compile error with the emc sim modules. Checked through my notes and
the changes I had made to the .def files - Still wouldn't compile. Dropped
back to an earlier kernel and rtlinux combination and still ended up with a
compile failure. Switching back to rtlinux-3.0 and 2.2.17 kernel, making a
sacrifice to the relavent deity (and adding in a curse or two), the whole lot
compiles with barely a warning message.
I'm going to take a virgin (machine) to work on Monday, and run through the
whole thing again just to make sure.

Perhaps it is this type of tale of woe that has coloured your perception of
emc. Don't let it - I'm testing the build process on various combinations of
kernels and rtlinux and in the process learning more of the make process.
If you stick with 2.2.14 and either rtl-2.0 or rtl-2.2 and run the
pre-compiled emc binaries - Your only troubles will be minor ones with some of
the ini file setting.

Sorry about the waffle folks.

Regards, Paul.




On Tue, 19 Dec 2000, Ray wrote:
> Stage 1
> Select a computer. See note 1  below
> Get to Bust Buy or Wall Mart If your are in the US.  Amazon or ?? if not
> Pick up Mandrake 7.0 
> Recommended install and set up x driver and monitor. (about 2 hours)
> Add the ecgs libs using RpmDrake
> 
> Download the real-time rtlinux-2.2a from Rtlinux.org
> Follow the linuxcnc.org install page for it. (about 2.5 hours)
> 
> Download the emc bin file for 2.2.14 rtlinux2.2 to a user/local/nist
> directory. Run Tar xzvf * in that directory.  Run ./install in that
> directory. (about 10 seconds) cd to the emc directory