labview for linux (Ubuntu 64-bit)

[Pekko]

University of Helsinki is using a centralized administrated linux installation on all linux workstations.  The distribution is based on Ubuntu 9.10, and there are plans to switch to 10.04 LTS.  Almost all installations are 64-bit, only few old machines (>5 years old) are still using 32-bit installation.

In the Department of Physics, there are ca. 500 machines, and ca. 30% of those are linux workstations.  We are trying to get LabVIEW for Linux installed on our workstations, so we have to get it working under 64-bit Ubuntu.

1st problem (not a problem): For some peculiar reason, the installation media is not using normal CD/DVD filesystem (iso9660), but the media is formatted with "Mac OS X HDF+" filesystem.  It works in linux, of course, but was a source of slight confusion.  It would be good idea to switch to the normal filesystem at the next release.

2nd problem: The installation under Ubuntu doesn't work.  Namely:

First I mount the media with "mount -t hfsplus /dev/sr0 /media/cdrom0" and try to start the install script
  cd /media/cdrom0/Linux/labview-2009
  sudo su
  ./INSTALL

The installation doesn't go smoothly.  According to the error message the script doesn't found the library libbz2:

/media/cdrom0/Linux/labview-2009/bin/rpmq: error while loading shared libraries: libbz2.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

However, the library is in standard place:
$ ls /lib/libbz2*
/lib/libbz2.so.1  /lib/libbz2.so.1.0  /lib/libbz2.so.1.0.4


I know, the "supported distributions" list only include Mandriva, RedHat and SUSE.  The version of LabVIEW is the latest Fall 2009 release.  Does anybody have any ideas what to try next?


cheers,
Pekko

[s7726]

Ok I was waiting for someone else to reply cause I think I know kind of what the problem might be but I'm not sure. So here's my $0.02 and we'll see if you can take it from there.

It looks like you need to check the symlink for libbz2.so.1 ----> libbz2.so.1.0.4, just check with a ls -l and see if the libbz2.so.1 is a symlink to one of the others. Like I said I'm not sure but I had a completely different piece of software with a sorta similar problem that was fixed with similar logic.

Hope you get it. 

[Pekko]

Thanks for your 0.02c.  Unfortunately, there is nothing wrong with the libraries or symlinks:

~$ ls -alF /lib/libbz2.so.1*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root    15 2009-12-07 11:42 /lib/libbz2.so.1 -> libbz2.so.1.0.4
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root    15 2009-12-07 11:42 /lib/libbz2.so.1.0 -> libbz2.so.1.0.4
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 70832 2009-06-30 03:22 /lib/libbz2.so.1.0.4

I'd like to know if anybody has managed to install LabVIEW on 64-bit linux.  If yes, then I'd get encouraged and I could dig deeper.

[octillion]

I have managed to install LabVIEW on 64-bit Ubuntu.  However, during a particular install I tried now, I came across the same problem you have.  I then tried making the symbolic link in /lib32 to /lib/libbz2.so.1.0.4 (and the /lib64 directory was linked to /lib).

sudo ln -s /lib/libbz2.so.1.0.4 /lib32/libbz2.so.1

After doing this, the installation had a new error message which complained the class was wrong:

/mnt/bin/rpmq: error while loading shared libraries: libbz2.so.1: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64

I then looked to see what was on the machine in which I was able to do an install without a problem.  On that machine there existed a file /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0.4, which had two symbolic links to it at  /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0 and /lib32/libbz2.so.1.  So it seems this is the 32 bit version of the library that LabVIEW wants.  So I simply copied /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0.4 to the machine I was having trouble with (and placed it in /lib32), and then made a symbolic link to that library.

sudo ln -s /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0.4 /lib32/libbz2.so.1

At this point the installation worked, and LabVIEW seems to run fine.  I'm not sure what package needs to be installed to add /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0.4 to the system (or why three other 64 bit Ubuntu installations which I performed did not have this problem).  Hopefully someone knows the proper package to install, but otherwise I'd try copying this file from a 32 bit system.

[drog]

I am attempting to install LabVIEW 2009 on Ubuntu 10.04 64 bit and I am having an identical experience to Pekko.  Unfortunately I don't have a working system that I can copy /lib32/libbz2.so.1.0.4 from.

Does anyone know what package this file comes from or where I can get a copy to put on my system?  I'm assuming that I need the 32 bit version from octillion's comments.

[Arvont]

A google search of libbz2 suggests libbz2.so.1.0.4 is a file in the bzip2 and/or libbzip2 package.

[Gordal]

I dont know about 64 bit, but i know that on 32 bit ubuntu the install script doesn't work. The officially supported linux uses a different packaging system, i believe. (rpm)  You use alien to convert the .rpm packages. However, i have not managed to get visa to work, but didn't try that hard. And also there are some pecularities which might result from my incorrect? way of installing, for example if i attempt to mass compile the labview .vis that come built in, there are quite a few errors. 

Im on ubuntu 32 bit 10.04 LTS and labview 8.6.

Message Edited by Gordal on 05-07-2010 04:47 PM

Message Edited by Gordal on 05-07-2010 04:50 PM

[Balint]

  Ubuntu (Debian based) is a very popular and widely spreading distribution because of its merits.

Does NI plan to create an install pack for it in order not to be lost in the Linux command forest?

[James_W]

There is a post in the Ideas Forum requesting that NI put LabVIEW on Untubu,

it then goes on to specify that it should be the 64bit version,

If you search for that post, I think (from memory) that NI currently does not support any 64bit Linux platforms, and people are trying to push for it, Untubu is a platform that is being pushed.

(As my company uses Windows, I'm not following the discussion very closely)

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Support-for-Ubuntu-Linux/idi-p/1106472

But you would already know about this Pekko - as you posted the Idea

James

[drog]

Thank you all for your comments.

I think that I will choose the path of least resistance and switch over to a supported distribution such as OpenSuse or Fedora, 32 bit version.  I'm not happy about this as I have been using Ubuntu for some time and have all my other apps settled in nicely.  Dual booting may be an option.  Hopefully Ubuntu and 64bits will be supported in the future.