# Help building/installing Xorg and XFCE4 for 9.1 RC2



## MauroEldritch (Feb 27, 2013)

Good day. It's me again. Some days ago, I posted about a trouble with pkg_add -r, in short terms, the packages' host was down due to some troubles.

Check the post here: http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?p=210054

As you may see, I want to install XORG and XFCE4 as I DID BEFORE. These are the following scenarios

a) Trying pkg_add -r: FAIL. There's no original host, it was taken down due to other troubles.
b) Trying to setenv PACKAGEROOT/PACKAGESITE to XXXX://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/packages/YYYY (XXXX can be http/ftp; YYYY may be x11, xfce or WHATEVER, while valid): FAIL. 
Installing Xorg-7.5.2 and xfce-4.10 I get some of the following errors (NOTE: THEY MAY NOT BE LITERALLY COPIED, THEY MAY BE LOOK-ALIKE)


```
exec: /usr/local/bin/perl: exec format error
./*INSTALL; fc-cache: exec format error
/usr/local/bin/fc-cache: exec format error
/INSTALL: /usr/local/bin/dbus-uuidgen: exec format error
pkg_add command glib-compile-schemas -uninstall failed.
polkit-auth exec format error
```

So, exec format error is one of the most seen errors here.
Even tough so, *pkg_add* finishes without complains.

While installing xfce, I can also find this error:


```
pkg_add: could not find package XXXX
XXXX can be anything like docbook-xml-4.41, iso8879-1986_3, and many other that makes me wonder if Install would ever be usable...
```

c) Trying SirDice's suggestion, I tried to build from ports: FAIL. It took AN ENTIRE DAY (from morning to late-afternoon). Xorg compiled correctly. No complains except for some warnings. Xfce threw many ERROR CODE 1, complaining about STOP and Error 1, but sadly I haven't been able to record them as they passed away from the screen fastly. I won't take the install again till the weekend, for the long time it takes, and the hours it may need, and because that box is the one I take to my job...

I would appreciate any suggestion. 
Aren't there mirrors with packages already setted up for FreeBSD? I know you've taken the others down, and that's fine, but if there could be a way to install them with the classic pkg_add method (the only one that worked for me)...

Any other suggestion on what I'm doing wrong will be taken. I like FreeBSD and I still find myself lost in some of their features, please understand this as I'm a newcomer to this platform.

Thanks again in advance and sorry for not being able to follow your last advice on my trouble.


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## SirDice (Feb 27, 2013)

For packages use the 9-stable package tree. Set PACKAGESITE, not the other one.

`# setenv PACKAGESITE [url=http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/]http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/[/url]`uname -m`/packages-9-stable/Latest/`

The "Exec format error" with perl doesn't look good though. You could try reinstalling it but the error may have a deeper cause.

As for building from ports, I highly recommend using ports-mgmt/portmaster. That will set all configs first before starting the actual build. And yes, depending on your machine, this can take a while.


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## MauroEldritch (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks for your kind reply SirDice. Let me update you with my case:

The Perl error, cannot be solved. Seems to happen over and over, reinstalling is not a matter to me, it takes 5-10 minutes. Even with fresh install doesn't seems to work well.

On the other hand this link http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/powerpc/packages-9-stable/Latest/ that you provided doesn't seems to contain anything related to Xorg/Xfce (Keep getting the original error "Unable to fetch file"...)

I tried to search manually in my browser and searched thru x11, xfce, Latest, and All folders, without any trace of the soft I'm looking for. Also searched - just to see - on 8-stable and it does not contain anything related to xfce or xorg.

Am I doing something wrong? 


I'll try to build with your recommendation next weekend.


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## wblock@ (Feb 27, 2013)

"Exec format error" suggests you may have the wrong package directory.  I think that is the error you will see when trying to run amd64 packages on an i386 system, for example.


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## MauroEldritch (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks wblock. I saw this error before running some other software, didn't remember where, now I do. This may be explained because I was diving on some other directories trying to find the packages. 

Please, can you tell me - if you know - where can I find Xorg and Xfce/gnome packages for FreeBSD? You told me once they weren't built for ppc, but - if exists - are there any place to download at least an older version?


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## SirDice (Feb 27, 2013)

You're in luck, PPC is a tier 2 platform but there are packages for it.

http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/powerpc/packages-9-stable/Latest/


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## MauroEldritch (Feb 27, 2013)

SirDice said:
			
		

> You're in luck, PPC is a tier 2 platform but there are packages for it.
> 
> http://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/powerpc/packages-9-stable/Latest/



Hi SirDice thanks for your reply, but that's the same link I've provided you some posts above, it contains no Xorg nor Xfce packages 

While trying to fetch from it the original error from the first post rises: "Unable to fetch file" (or something related). Then I check and it's true, file does not exists there.


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## SirDice (Feb 27, 2013)

It seems http://pointyhat.freebsd.org is still offline. Normally you'd be able to check the status of the package builds. It's possible one or more ports failed to build.


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## MauroEldritch (Feb 27, 2013)

SirDice said:
			
		

> It seems http://pointyhat.freebsd.org is still offline. Normally you'd be able to check the status of the package builds. It's possible one or more ports failed to build.



Yes, it was down since a while now. You recommended it to me some time ago, but can't manage to see it still! :\

One more question, so I won't disturb you anymore for some time, how would you recommend me to build Xorg and Xfce from ports? Any particular config or commands?

Maybe last time I compiled with a wrong or misconfigured background.


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## SirDice (Feb 27, 2013)

MauroEldritch said:
			
		

> One more question, so I won't disturb you anymore for some time, how would you recommend me to build Xorg and Xfce from ports? Any particular config or commands?


The defaults should be fine. Although I build them without HAL support as I don't need it.


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## wblock@ (Feb 27, 2013)

At present, I think building from source is the only way to get xfce, regardless of architecture.

Update your ports tree before starting with portsnap(8).  Install x11/xorg first, don't change any options from the default.  Then install x11-wm/xfce4.


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