Overview
For Magics the GNU autotools were chosen for the installation routine. These are the standard installation tools for most free and commercial software packages to date on Unix.
Autotools’ main task is to generate Makefiles for the desired platform on which Magics will be used. This is necessary, because the various platforms differ from each other in various ways, such as compiler options and library/include paths.
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From the 2.22.0 version, Magics will be using CMake for its compilation and installation. This is a first step towards an homogenisation of the installation procedures for all ECMWF packages.
As configure, CMake will run some tests on the customer's system to find out if required third-party software libraries are available and notes their locations (paths). Based on this information
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it will produces the Makefiles needed to compile and install Magics.
CMake is a cross-platform free software program for managing the build process of software using a compiler-independent method.
Binary versions
Magics and third-party dependent software packages might also be available as binary packages for you platform in form of RPMs. You might find them by going to the software search services, such as for OpenSuSE and SLES at http://software.opensuse.org/search (select "Search options" - "Include users' home projects").
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Compilation and installation
To compile and install the Magics graphics library, the installer must first unpack the *.tar.gz file, provided by ECMWF, to a temporary location.
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During a build with CMake there are three different directories involved: The source dir, the build dir and the install dir.
Source directory: (ex: tar zvxf Magics2.22.0.tar.gz in /tmp/.../src)
The source dir is where the project's sources are stored. In This the directory to which you extract the project's source archive. The source dir also contains the files which describe the build to CMake.
Build directory: (Ex: /tmp/.../build/magics)
This directory is where all compiler outputs are stored, which includes both object files as well as final executables and libraries. CMake also stores several files of its own here, including its cache. The location of the build dir is entirely up to you.
Install director: (Ex: /usr/local/magics)
Traditionally Unix builds are finished with a call of 'make install' which copies all relevant files from the built project you need for your everyday use to a clean place. Basically it separates all necessary files from the "garbage" which is output in the build directory. The location of the install directory is governed by the CMake cache variable CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX. Of course, installation is entirely optional and only takes place if you build the install target.
Generating the Makefiles with configure
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