[boost] how to specify options for Boost-building?

Subject: [boost] how to specify options for Boost-building?
From: Oliver Kullmann (O.Kullmann_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-02-12 12:35:22

Hello,

I want to build version 1_38_0, but I can't progress
due to missing build-documentation.
I need to use bjam (due to special demands on the build),
and my platform is Linux.

Apparently besides this little bit of information at
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_38_0/more/getting_started/unix-variants.html
there is nothing available? (Even to get there is not obvious --- you need
to click on "microsoft install" first, in order to find a further link
to Linux/Unix install?)

So well, I invoke "bjam --help":

Usage says

bjam [options] [properties] [install|stage]

where under "properties" we find

Properties:

  toolset=toolset         Indicates the toolset to build with.

  variant=debug|release   Select the build variant

  link=static|shared      Whether to build static or shared libraries

  threading=single|multi  Whether to build single or multithreaded binaries

  runtime-link=static|shared
                          Whether to link to static or shared C and C++ runtime.

What's the syntax here??

"--toolset=gcc", as one finds it on that webpage above, or "toolset=gcc", as that
information seems to suggest (since for the options the "--" is mentioned)??

Unfortunately, it seems that, different from all other build systems I'm aware of,
bjam doesn't print out a summary of what it will be doing. I tried many variations of 
syntax, but apparently it never worked out.

There is an option which is potentially relevant, "--build-type", but again I don't
know what are the possible parameters for that --- since there are no examples, I don't
know how to read the cryptic listing (syntax-wise).

What I need to achieve is simple:

1) I need to specify a locally installed gcc toolset:
Past installations suggested to use the options

 --toolset=gcc-4.1.2
 --toolset-root=PATH-TO-LOCAL-INSTALLATION
 --"-sGCC_ROOT_DIRECTORY=PATH-TO-LOCAL-INSTALLATION"

I can't find any information on that topic.

2) I need a local installation of boost; that works out:

 --prefix=XXX
 --build-dir=YYY

no problem here.

3) No python; this seems also unproblematic
(but apparently it vanished from the documentation?)

 --without-python

4) Only simple names for the built libraries; this seems
also to work with

 --layout=system

5) No multi-threading:
Don't know how to achieve this:
Somehow "threading=single" seems to be needed here, but I don't know
how to specify it (whatever I do, I always end up with libraries with
the "mt"-ending).

 
Glad for any help.

Oliver