How to install Python 2.2.2 on your SME Server

This procedure has been tested on the SME Server version 5.6.  It may work on earlier versions as well, but I have not tested it.

[UPDATE:  - You do NOT absolutely need to follow this procedure with SME Server version 5.5 or 5.6.  Those versions already include python 2.2 (but not 2.2.2) as part of the release.  However, if you want to install python 2.2.2, the instructions below will still be applicable.]

In order to experiment with XML processing, I wanted to use the newer python 2.2.2 on my SME Server.  RPMs are available from python.org, but they are based on Red Hat 8.0 and have dependencies on libraries that are not shipped with the SME Server 5.6 or Red Hat version 7.3.   I downloaded and rebuilt ("rpm --rebuild") the source RPM for python 2.2.2 on a RH 7.3 platform and successfully tested it on a SME Server 5.6 box.

Note that this installation process does not affect the existing python 1.5.2 installation in any way. This RPM puts python 2.2 in a separate directory tree and leaves you with two "python" commands (see below).

Here is the process:

1. Download the following RPMs:
   
     python2-2.2.2-.i386.rpm
     db3x-3.2.9-4.i386.rpm
   
   (Note that the db3x rpm is required for a library dependency and is purely the rpm directly from the Red Hat 7.3 distribution. I did not make any modifications to it or alter it in any way. ) from my contrib directory here (if the link is not available, check one of the other mirror sites listed on the e-smith.org download page:

           http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/e-smith/contrib/DanYork/RPMS/i386/

2. Install the rpms:

           rpm -ivh db3x-3.2.9-4.i386.rpm
           rpm -Uvh python2-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
       

3. Start using python 2.2!  Just type 'python2' at the command line, or start your python programs with the following header:

           #!/usr/bin/python2
       

Note that if you type 'python' or use '/usr/bin/python' in your programs you will be using the python 1.5.2 already installed on your system. This has the benefit that you can now test your python programs using either 2.2.2 or 1.5.2.

If you have any suggestions or comments - or problems installing the RPM - please contact me.

Note that in the rebuilding of the source RPM, the following additional RPMs were created:

• python2-devel-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm  - files necessary (mostly header files) for building extensions to python
• python2-tkinter-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm - the Tkinter graphical libraries (used for developing GUI tools in python)
• python2-tools-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm - various tools

As I do not need any of these for my development efforts, I have not installed them, so I do not know that they install correctly. They are there for your experimentation.

Last modified: October 16, 2009

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