Tripwire instructions?

[clickit]

Downloaded tripwire 2.4.1.2. As I am under attack. Slackware 12.0. Everything is as tight as I can get it but s/he may be clever.
Instructions say to set "prefix" with a "./configure --prefix=/path/to/install" but not sure if this means /aaa/bbb/ddd/install or /aaa/bbb/ddd/.
Then it calls for a make but like I suspected it can't cuz there ain't no make files to be seen. Then is says run make install, sure...!? install is install-sh a nifty shell script.
Does anyone know the correct order?? BTW this is the open source version.

[nalg0rath]

The --prefix parameter will specify where to install the files for the progam. Because programs can have several files spread over a couple of directories (ex. lib/, bin/) you specify for example --prefix=/usr to install the binaries into /usr/bin/ and libraries into /usr/lib.

Common prefix direcorories are /usr and /usr/local.

Example:

# ./configure --prefix=/usr/local

You don't have to worry about the makefile unless it still isn't there after you run the configure-script since it should generate the makefiles.

The command "make install" will run a part of the Makefile that is named install. The makefile is divided into sections and if you read the file using an editor you will see that there are sections such as install, clean and all. The default section of the makefile to run is the all-section, this is what happens when you run "make" without any parameters.

[clickit]

Thanks 4 ur HELP!
I understood about what the prefix does.
I didn't know ./configure would create a makefile --big help there!
BTW tripwire has its own bin for binaries under tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin.
What is bothering me is the way they worded their instructions. There is an "install" directory under tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin and an install.sh shell program is located there.
Just to make my life miserable they also created an install-sh script in the main tripwire diretory. Both scripts are executable.
So where I am confused is are they saying use:
./configure --prefix=/opt/secr/idx/tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin/install
OR
./configure --prefix=/opt/secr/idx/tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin ?
Since there are 2 install scripts it makes it difficult to determine what the path should be.
I uncompressed the tar ball in /opt/secr/idx/.
Are neither of these where it goes?
Wish they'd be more specific or say put it where you want.

[bigtomrodney]

Thanks 4 ur HELP!
I understood about what the prefix does.
I didn't know ./configure would create a makefile --big help there!
BTW tripwire has its own bin for binaries under tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin.
What is bothering me is the way they worded their instructions. There is an "install" directory under tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin and an install.sh shell program is located there.
Just to make my life miserable they also created an install-sh script in the main tripwire diretory. Both scripts are executable.
So where I am confused is are they saying use:
./configure --prefix=/opt/secr/idx/tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin/install
OR
./configure --prefix=/opt/secr/idx/tripwire-2.4.1.2-x86-bin ?
Since there are 2 install scripts it makes it difficult to determine what the path should be.
I uncompressed the tar ball in /opt/secr/idx/.
Are neither of these where it goes?
Wish they'd be more specific or say put it where you want.

No I think you may have misunderstood the need for prefix. It's not to tell configure where the data is but rather where to install it to. You shouldn't really be putting source in /opt. You can also ignore the install scripts as they are run by make/make install. All you need to do is to have the directory (somewhere like your home is best). Then you run configure optionally specifying an install destination as the prefix (/usr/local perhaps) and then run make and finall with root privelege run make install.