B. Where GNATS lives

We use a few conventions when referring to the installation structure GNATS uses. These values are adjustable when you build and install GNATS (see section Installing GNATS).

B.1 prefix
B.2 exec-prefix
B.3 GNATS_ROOT
B.4 Default installation locations

B.1 prefix

prefix corresponds to the variable `prefix' for configure, which passes it on to the `Makefile' it creates. prefix sets the root installation directory for host-independent files as follows:

configuration and database files

`prefix/share'

man pages

`prefix/man'

info documents

`prefix/info'

include files

`prefix/include'

etc...

The default value for prefix is `/usr/local', which can be changed on the command line to configure using

configure --prefix=prefix ...

See section Configuring and compiling the software.

B.2 exec-prefix

exec-prefix corresponds to the variable `exec_prefix' for configure, which passes it on to the `Makefile' it creates. exec-prefix sets the root installation for host-dependent files as follows:

binary tools

`exec-prefix/bin'

binary support utilities

`exec-prefix/libexec/gnats'

compiled libraries

`exec-prefix/lib'

etc...

Since most installations are not intended to be distributed around a network, the default value for exec-prefix is the value of `prefix', i.e., `/usr/local'. However, using exec-prefix saves space when you are installing a package on several different platforms for which many files are identical; rather than duplicate them for each host, these files can be shared in a common repository, and you can use symbolic links on each host to find the host-dependent files. It is not necessary to use this paradigm when building the GNATS tools. See section Configuring and compiling the software.

Use exec-prefix in conjunction with prefix to share host-independent files, like libraries and info documents. For example:

for each host: configure --prefix=/usr/gnu --exec-prefix=/usr/gnu/H-host make all install ...

Using this paradigm, all host-dependent binary files are installed into `/usr/gnu/H-host/bin', while files which do not depend on the host type for which they were configured are installed into `/usr/gnu'.

You can then use a different symbolic link for `/usr/gnu' on each host (`/usr' is usually specific to a particular machine; it is always specific to a particular architecture).

on host-1: ln -s /usr/gnu/H-host-1 /usr/gnu on host-2: ln -s /usr/gnu/H-host-2 /usr/gnu

To the end user, then, placing `/usr/gnu/bin' in her or his PATH simply works transparently for each host type.

You can change exec-prefix on the command line to configure using

configure --exec-prefix=exec-prefix ...

We recommend that you consult section `Using configure' in Cygnus configure, before attempting this. Again, it is not necessary to use this paradigm when building the GNATS tools.

B.3 GNATS_ROOT

The location of the database and the administrative data files, by default `prefix/share/gnats/gnats-db'. You can change this value on the command line to configure using

configure --with-gnats-root=GNATS_ROOT

Administrative data files reside in `GNATS_ROOT/gnats-adm'. These include `categories', `submitters', `responsible', `states', and `config', as well as two files generated and maintained by GNATS, `index' and `current'. See section Changing your local configuration, and Administrative data files.

B.4 Default installation locations

prefix

defaults to `/usr/local'; change using configure (see section Configuring and compiling the software).

exec-prefix

defaults to prefix; change using configure (see section Configuring and compiling the software).

GNATS_ROOT

defaults to `prefix/share/gnats/gnats-db'; change using configure (see section Configuring and compiling the software).

GNATS installs tools, utilities, and files into the following locations.

exec-prefix/bin

send-pr

See section Submitting Problem Reports.

edit-pr

See section Editing existing Problem Reports.

query-pr

See section Querying the database.

nquery-pr

See section Querying the database over the network.

exec-prefix/libexec/gnats

mkcat

See section Adding a problem category.

rmcat

See section Removing a problem category.

mkdist

See section Configuring send-pr for the outside world.

gen-index

See section Regenerating the index.

queue-pr

See section Handling incoming traffic.

file-pr

See section Processing incoming traffic.

at-pr

See section Timely reminders.

pr-edit

See section The edit-pr driver.

pr-addr

See section Address retrieval.

exec-prefix/lib/libiberty.a

The GNU libiberty library.

prefix/share/gnats/dist

A packageable distribution of send-pr.

See section Configuring send-pr for the outside world.

prefix/share/gnats

site

The local list of valid categories, used by send-pr; site is the value of `GNATS_SITE' (see section The config file).

prefix/share/emacs/site-lisp

gnats.el

gnats.elc

The Emacs versions of the programs query-pr, edit-pr, and view-pr. See section Invoking the GNATS tools. To change this directory you must alter `Makefile.in'; see Configuring and compiling the software.

send-pr.el

The Emacs version of the program send-pr. See section Submitting Problem Reports.

prefix/info

gnats.info

send-pr.info

The GNATS manuals, in a form readable by info (the GNU hypertext browser). See section `Reading GNU Online Documentation' in GNU Online Documentation.

prefix/man/man1

prefix/man/man8

man pages for all the GNATS tools and utilities.

See section Invoking the GNATS tools.

GNATS_ROOT

gnats-adm

Administration and configuration data files. The files

config

categories

submitters

responsible

states

gnatsd.conf

index

(This file is created by GNATS.)

current

(This file is created by GNATS.)

exist here. See section Changing your local configuration, and Administrative data files.

gnats-queue

Incoming Problem Reports are queued here until the next iteration of `queue-pr -r' (see section Handling incoming traffic).

pending

If no default category is set, problem reports without a category are reassigned to the category `pending' and placed here pending intervention by the GNATS administrator. In this case, the submitter will not receive an automated reply. See section GNATS administration.

category

Each valid category has a corresponding subdirectory in the database. All Problem Reports associated with that category are kept in that subdirectory, along with lock files for PRs which are being edited.