[R] Installing different versions of R simultaneously on Linux

[Rainer M Krug]

Hi

On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 10:41 AM, Berwin A Turlach
<berwin at maths.uwa.edu.au> wrote:
> G'day Rainer,
>
> On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:34:11 +0200
> Rainer M Krug <r.m.krug at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I want to install some versions of R simultaneously from source on a
>> computer (running Linux). [...]
>
> What flavour of Linux are we talking about?

Sorry - I am running SuSE on the machine where I need it.

>
>> If it is not, how is it possible to have several versions of R on one
>> computer, or is the only way to compile them and then call R in the
>> directory of the version where it was compiled (~/R-2.7.2/bin/R)?
>
> For Debian based machines (I first used Debian, nowadays Kubuntu), I
> got into the following habit:
>
> 1) Unpack the R sources in /opt/src
> 2) Enter /opt/src/R-x.y.z and run configure with
>   --prefix=/opt/R/R-x.y.z (and other options)
> 3) Build R with checks and documentation from source and install.

OK - similar to what I did.

> 4) Run in /opt/src a script that uses "update-alternative" install to
>   install the new version and creates a link from /opt/R/R-x.y.z/bin/R
>   to /opt/bin/R-x.y.z

How do I do this? I usually call "sudo make install". Do I have to use
"update-alternative --install R-2.7.1 R 2" if I want to have R-2.7.1
aqs the second priority installed?

>
> I have /opt in my PATH, thus I can call any R version explicitly by
> R-x.y.z.

That is what I need - but I can't find update-alternatives in SuSE
>
> Typing R alone, will usually start the most recently installed
> version (as this will have the highest priority) but I can configure
> that via "sudo update-alternatives --config R".  I.e., I can make R run
> a particular version.  Since the "update-alternative" step above also
> registers all the *.info files and man pages, I will also access the
> documentation of that particular R version (e.g., C-h i in emacs will
> give me access to the info version of the manuals of the version of R
> which is run by the R command).

Exactly what I would like to have.

>
> Over time, typically when the linux system is upgraded, libraries on
> which old R-x.y.z binaries relied vanish.  At that time I usually
> delete /opt/R/R-x.y.z and remove that version from the available
> alternatives.
>
> HTH.  Let me know if you need more details.

Thanks a lot - now I just have to know how I can do it under SuSE. I
will keep this in mind and use it for my main cvomputer, which runs
Xubuntu.

Rainer

>
> Cheers,
>
>        Berwin
>



-- 
Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc (Conservation
Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany)

Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology
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University of Stellenbosch
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