Fails to configure with autoconf 2.70beta

[rossburton]

If I autoreconf with autocong 2.70beta1 then configure fails:

...
checking for GNU gettext in libc... yes
checking whether to use NLS... yes
checking where the gettext function comes from... libc
checking for bison... no
checking for byacc... no
configure: no bison program found: only required for maintainers
checking for flex... flex
checking for lex output file root... lex.yy
checking for lex library... not found
configure: error: required lex library not found

config.log highlights include:

configure:12442: checking for lex library
configure:12457: aarch64-poky-linux-gcc  -fstack-protector-strong  -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -Wformat -Wformat-security -Werror=format-security --sysroot=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot -o conftest  -O2 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot=                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot-native=   -Wl,-O1 -Wl,--hash-style=gnu -Wl,--as-needed -Wl,-z,relro,-z,now conftest.c   >&5
/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0/build/conftest.l:17: undefined reference to `yywrap'

configure:12457: aarch64-poky-linux-gcc  -fstack-protector-strong  -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -Wformat -Wformat-security
-Werror=format-security --sysroot=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot -
o conftest  -O2 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-
poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/bui
ld/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/
home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot=                      -fdebug-prefix
-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot-native=   -Wl,-O1 -Wl,--hash-s
tyle=gnu -Wl,--as-needed -Wl,-z,relro,-z,now conftest.c -lfl  >&5
/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot-native/usr/bin/aarch64-poky-linux/.
./../libexec/aarch64-poky-linux/gcc/aarch64-poky-linux/10.1.0/ld: cannot find -lfl

configure:12457: aarch64-poky-linux-gcc  -fstack-protector-strong  -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -Wformat -Wformat-security -Werror=format-security --sysroot=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot -o conftest  -O2 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0=/usr/src/debug/flex/2.6.4-r0                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot=                      -fdebug-prefix-map=/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot-native=   -Wl,-O1 -Wl,--hash-style=gnu -Wl,--as-needed -Wl,-z,relro,-z,now conftest.c -ll  >&5
/home/ross/Yocto/build/tmp/work/armv8a-poky-linux/flex/2.6.4-r0/recipe-sysroot-native/usr/bin/aarch64-poky-linux/../../libexec/aarch64-poky-linux/gcc/aarch64-poky-linux/10.1.0/ld: cannot find -ll

[rossburton]

Noticed that gdbm is failing the same way, filed upstream at https://savannah.gnu.org/support/index.php?110269.

[jannick0]

I think the issue does not persist with autoconf 2.69/2.71 which are the official autoconf releases, where autoconf 2.71 throws a warning about a missing argument for AC_PROX_LEX. Apart from that everything should be fine for autoconf and friends I believe.

@rossburton Can this issue be closed?

[rossburton]

Yes, I believe so.