BIND9 daemon is appending installed path while searching named.conf

[Mark Andrews]

> Hi all,
> I am facing a typical problem. From the configure command's help I
> found that one can specify the desired installed path where all the
> binaries, libraries and other components of bind9 will be installed.
> It can be done
> configure --prefix=<desired_path>.
> 
> I am configuring as below:
> ./configure --prefix=/home/myfile --build=i486-ncr-sysv4.3  --with-
> libtool .......etc
> 
> It also installing the component in proper path, but when I try to run
> the named server
> 
> Server failed to start stating error as follows
> 
> Feb 10 20:55:34 named[7146]: starting BIND 9.4.1
> Feb 10 20:55:34 named[7146]: loading configuration from '/home/myfile/
> etc/named.conf'
> Feb 10 20:55:34 named[7146]: none:0: open: /home/myfile/etc/named.conf
> : file not found
> Feb 10 20:55:34 named[7146]: loading configuration: file not found
> Feb 10 20:55:34 named[7146]: exiting (due to fatal error)
> 
> Here I have kept configuration file under /etc assuming that nnamed
> will read from it. But it is trying to read from the path which it
> generateds by appending the installed path at the configuartion time
> in the front of /etc/named.conf.
> 
> Even I specifically says to read from the path by -c option. It agin
> fails for craeating named.pid
> as it is tryinmg to create under the path <prefixed_path>/etc/
> named.pid. and the path doesn't exist.
> So error in that case which causing named failed to start is pasted as
> below.
> 
> Feb 10 20:24:05 in.named[7043]: couldn't open pid file '/home/myfile/
> var/run/named.pid': No such file or directory
> Feb 10 20:24:05 in.named[7043]: exiting (due to early fatal error)
> 
> Kindly suggest some remedy for this. Am I going something wronmg
> somewhere.
> 
> Why named daemon search and create all configurational file appended
> with <installed path> in the front?
> In my case it is /home/myfile/

	Because that is how configure works when you specify a prefix.

	"configure -help" gives show you additional options the top
	of which is shown below.

	configure --prefix=/home/myfile/ --sysconfdir=/etc ....

	Mark

% configure -help
Usage: ./configure [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...

To assign environment variables (e.g., CC, CFLAGS...), specify them as
VAR=VALUE.  See below for descriptions of some of the useful variables.

Defaults for the options are specified in brackets.

Configuration:
  -h, --help              display this help and exit
      --help=short        display options specific to this package
      --help=recursive    display the short help of all the included packages
  -V, --version           display version information and exit
  -q, --quiet, --silent   do not print `checking...' messages
      --cache-file=FILE   cache test results in FILE [disabled]
  -C, --config-cache      alias for `--cache-file=config.cache'
  -n, --no-create         do not create output files
      --srcdir=DIR        find the sources in DIR [configure dir or `..']

Installation directories:
  --prefix=PREFIX         install architecture-independent files in PREFIX
                          [/usr/local]
  --exec-prefix=EPREFIX   install architecture-dependent files in EPREFIX
                          [PREFIX]

By default, `make install' will install all the files in
`/usr/local/bin', `/usr/local/lib' etc.  You can specify
an installation prefix other than `/usr/local' using `--prefix',
for instance `--prefix=$HOME'.

For better control, use the options below.

Fine tuning of the installation directories:
  --bindir=DIR           user executables [EPREFIX/bin]
  --sbindir=DIR          system admin executables [EPREFIX/sbin]
  --libexecdir=DIR       program executables [EPREFIX/libexec]
  --sysconfdir=DIR       read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
  --sharedstatedir=DIR   modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
  --localstatedir=DIR    modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
  --libdir=DIR           object code libraries [EPREFIX/lib]
  --includedir=DIR       C header files [PREFIX/include]
  --oldincludedir=DIR    C header files for non-gcc [/usr/include]
  --datarootdir=DIR      read-only arch.-independent data root [PREFIX/share]
  --datadir=DIR          read-only architecture-independent data [DATAROOTDIR]
  --infodir=DIR          info documentation [DATAROOTDIR/info]
  --localedir=DIR        locale-dependent data [DATAROOTDIR/locale]
  --mandir=DIR           man documentation [DATAROOTDIR/man]
  --docdir=DIR           documentation root [DATAROOTDIR/doc/PACKAGE]
  --htmldir=DIR          html documentation [DOCDIR]
  --dvidir=DIR           dvi documentation [DOCDIR]
  --pdfdir=DIR           pdf documentation [DOCDIR]
  --psdir=DIR            ps documentation [DOCDIR]

	
-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: Mark_Andrews at isc.org