[Boost-build] Need guidance in installing boost.python and boost.build

Subject: [Boost-build] Need guidance in installing boost.python and boost.build
From: Yujie Wen (yjwen.ty_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-07-14 04:19:30

Hi,

  I am trying to add a python interface to our project on linux.
Following the boost online documentations, I have successfully built
and imported into python shell the
boost_1_39_0/libs/python/example/tutorial. But now I am stuck at
installing the boost.build and boost.python so that others can also
build without visiting the boost tree in my home directory.

  The Jamfile of the example has the following two lines:
               use-project boost : /home/yjwen/packages/boost_1_39_0 ;
               project : requirements <library>/boost/python//boost_python ;
which, I guess, indicating bjam to build an appropriate
libboost_python_***.so and link it to the generated hello_ext.so. But
if I put the boost package on a system wide directory like
/usr/local/lib, the Jamroot script will failed due to regular user's
write access there are denied. By removing the two lines, bjam build
succeeded but the libboost_python is not linked. So importing
hello_ext in python shell failed with many error message complaining
undefined symbols.

  I am using the RHEL AS4 and Centos 5 machines. There have been some
libboost_python_***.so installed, though the version is not as updated
as 1.39.0. What should I do to tell bjam using those installed
libboost_python_***.so or the one I build and placed in some system
directories and link it to the generated hello_ext.so? The answer
might be obvious but I am lost in the plenty of documentation. I will
be very much appreciated if someone can give me a guidance.

Best regards,

Yujie Wen