programname: error in loading shared libraries: lib xxx..soopen shared object file: No such file or directory.
A message like this, when the program that you're trying to run usesshared libraries, usually means one of two things: the program was
either compiled on a machine that had a different set of libraries or
library paths than yours; or you've upgraded your libraries but not
the program.
Executable programs that are linked with dynamic libraries, expect the
full pathname of each of the library files it requires. So do the
shared libraries, if they rely on other libraries. This is so the
shared object dependencies remain as unambiguous as possible, and also
as a security measure.
Short of recompiling the executable file for the libraries on the
system--probably the most desirable alternative in the long run--you
can try to determine which libraries the executable file needs with
the command: "ldd programname." The output will be a list of the
shared libraries on the system that the program needs to run, as well
as the missing libraries. You can then add the library packages, or if
the libraries already exist in a different directory, you can create a
symbolic link so the program can find it. For example, if the program
requires /usr/lib/libncurses.so.2, and your machine has
/lib/libncurses.so.2, you can create a link where the program expects
to find the library; e.g.:
# cd /usr/lib && ln -s /lib/libncurses.so.2 .
You should note, however, that creating library links like these
should be considered a security risk, and the additional links you
create will not be compatible with future upgrades. It's simply a
quick fix for backward compatibility.
Also, it may take some guesswork to determine in exactly which of the
system library directories the program expects to find a shared
library file, because ldd will not list the paths of libraries it
can't find. A program most likely will tell the run-time linker,
/lib/ld.so, to look for shared libraries in /lib, /usr/lib,
/usr/local/lib, or /usr/X11R6/lib, if it's an X client. But that
doesn't mean that libraries can't be installed elsewhere. It helps to
have some idea of the original library configuration before
proceeding.
Also be sure to run ldconfig after creating the symbolic link, so that
ld.so has an updated view of the system's libraries. You should also
make certain that all of the library directories are listed in
/etc/ld.so.conf, and perhaps in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment
variable.
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