source: archive/core/pre-install-config.xml

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<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
   "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
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<sect1 id="kde-pre-install-config">
  <?dbhtml filename="pre-install-config.html"?>


  <title>KDE4 Pre-installation Configuration</title>

  <note><para>If you did not install <application>Xorg</application> in
  <filename class="directory">/usr</filename>, some of the
  <application>CMake</application> modules in <application>KDE</application>
  look for packages at hard coded locations. To accommodate this issue,
  create the following symbolic link (as the root user):</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>ln -sv $XORG_PREFIX /usr/X11R6</userinput></screen>
  </note>

  <sect2><title>Installing in /usr</title>

    <para>One option is to put <application>KDE</application> into the
    <filename class='directory'>/usr</filename> hierarchy.  This creates a
    simpler setup but makes it more difficult to try multiple versions of
    <application>KDE</application>.</para>

<screen><userinput>export &kde-dir-var;=/usr</userinput></screen>
  </sect2>

  <sect2><title>Installing in /opt</title>

    <para>A method of building multiple versions installs
    <application>KDE</application> in the <filename
    class='directory'>/opt</filename> hierarchy:</para>

<screen><userinput>export &kde-dir-var;=/opt/kde</userinput></screen>

    <para>If you are not installing <application>KDE</application> in
    <filename class="directory">/usr</filename>, you will need to make some
    additional configuration changes. Best practice is to add those to your
    system (as <systemitem  class="username">root</systemitem>) or personal
    profile:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>cat &gt; /etc/profile.d/kde.sh &lt;&lt; 'EOF'
<literal># Begin /etc/profile.d/kde.sh

&kde-dir-var;=/opt/kde
KDEDIR=&kde-dir;

pathappend &kde-dir;/bin             PATH
pathappend &kde-dir;/lib/pkgconfig   PKG_CONFIG_PATH
pathappend &kde-dir;/share/pkgconfig PKG_CONFIG_PATH
pathappend &kde-dir;/share           XDG_DATA_DIRS
pathappend &kde-dir;/share/man       MANPATH
pathappend /etc/kde/xdg                XDG_CONFIG_DIRS

export &kde-dir-var; KDEDIR

# End /etc/profile.d/kde.sh</literal>
EOF
</userinput></screen>

    <para>Add to your <filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename>:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>cat &gt;&gt; /etc/ld.so.conf &lt;&lt; EOF
<literal># Begin kde addition

/opt/kde/lib

# End kde addition</literal>
EOF</userinput></screen>

    <indexterm zone="kde-pre-install-config">
      <primary sortas="e-etc-ld.so.conf">/etc/ld.so.conf</primary>
    </indexterm>

    <para>Several KDE packages install files into D-Bus and polkit directories.
    When installing KDE in a location other than <filename class="directory">/usr</filename>,
    D-Bus and polkit need to find these files. The easiest way to achieve this is to create
    the following symlinks (as the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user):</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>install -d &kde-dir;/share &amp;&amp;
ln -svf /usr/share/dbus-1 &kde-dir;/share &amp;&amp;
ln -svf /usr/share/polkit-1 &kde-dir;/share</userinput></screen>

    <tip>
      <para>Sometimes, the installation paths are coded into installed files.
      This is the reason why <filename class="directory">/opt/kde</filename>
      is used as installation prefix instead of <filename
      class="directory">/opt/kde-&kde-version;</filename>.  After installing
      <application>KDE</application>, you may rename the directory and create
      a symlink:</para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>mv /opt/kde{,-&kde-version;} &amp;&amp;
ln -svf kde-&kde-version; /opt/kde</userinput></screen>

      <para>Later on, you may want to install other versions of
      <application>KDE</application>.  To do that, just remove the symlink and
      use <filename class="directory">/opt/kde</filename> as the prefix again
      (<application>KDE</application> must not be started). Which version of
      <application>KDE</application> you use depends only on where the symlink
      points to. No other reconfiguration will be needed.</para>

    </tip>

  </sect2>
</sect1>