Errors during install

[grou...@synthify.com]

I'm installing ns-3.44 on a Debian 12 system.

I'm following the process in quick start

I downloaded and extracted the .bz2 release file

I ran the configure process `$ ./ns3 configure --enable-examples --enable-tests`

I ran the build `$ ./ns3 build`

At 12%, I see a number of errors:

[ 12%] Building CXX object src/antenna/CMakeFiles/antenna-test.dir/test/test-adjacency-matrix.cc.o
In file included from /home/tim/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44/build/include/ns3/symmetric-adjacency-matrix.h:1,
                 from /home/tim/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44/src/antenna/test/test-adjacency-matrix.cc:9:
/home/tim/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44/src/antenna/utils/symmetric-adjacency-matrix.h:240:36: error: expected ‘)’ before ‘numRows’
  240 |     SymmetricAdjacencyMatrix(size_t numRows = 0, T value = {})
      |                             ~      ^~~~~~~~
      |                                    )

The build process stopped at 16% with these errors:

[ 16%] Building CXX object src/network/CMakeFiles/network.dir/utils/timestamp-tag.cc.o
[ 16%] Linking CXX shared library /home/tim/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44/build/lib/libns3.44-network-default.so
gmake: *** [Makefile:136: all] Error 2
Finished executing the following commands:
/usr/bin/cmake --build /home/tim/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44/cmake-cache -j 3
tim@test03:~/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44$

Where should I start to resolve these errors?

[Tommaso Pecorella]

You can start by checking (and tell) the compiler version...

Most probably you'll have to upgrade the compiler.

[grou...@synthify.com]

@ Tommaso Pecorella, thank you!

Here are the versions:

$ gcc --version

gcc (Debian 12.2.0-14) 12.2.0

$ cpp --version
cpp (Debian 12.2.0-14) 12.2.0

$ python3 --version
Python 3.11.2

What are the required compiler versions? Maybe they have changed from what is found in Prerequisites

[Tommaso Pecorella]

I'll have to check. It seems that you have a supported compiler.

Just to make sure, check when you issue the command "./ns3 configure", it will tell you which compiler it's using:

➜  ns-3-dev git:(master) ./ns3 configure --enable-examples --enable-tests
Warn about uninitialized values.
-- The CXX compiler identification is AppleClang 17.0.0.17000013
-- The C compiler identification is AppleClang 17.0.0.17000013

[grou...@synthify.com]

Here is the output of ./ns3 configure --enable-examples --enable-tests "

$ ./ns3 configure --enable-examples --enable-tests

Warn about uninitialized values.
-- Using default output directory /home/tim/ns-3/ns-3-dev/build
-- CCache is enabled.
-- Proceeding without cmake-format
-- Bindings: python bindings disabled due to the following missing dependencies: cppyy
-- NS3_BINDINGS_INSTALL_DIR was not set. The python bindings won't be installed with ./ns3 install. This setting is meant for packaging and redistribution.
-- Set NS3_BINDINGS_INSTALL_DIR="/home/tim/.local/lib/python3.11/site-packages" to install it to the default location.
-- Boost was not found
-- docs: doxygen documentation not enabled due to missing dependencies: doxygen dot dia
-- Failed to locate sphinx-build executable (missing: SPHINX_EXECUTABLE)
-- docs: sphinx documentation not enabled due to missing dependencies: Sphinx epstopdf pdflatex latexmk convert dvipng dia
-- Processing src/antenna
-- Standard library Bessel function has been found
-- Processing src/aodv
-- Processing src/applications
-- Processing src/bridge
-- Processing src/brite
-- Skipping src/brite
-- Processing src/buildings
-- Processing src/click
-- Skipping src/click
-- Processing src/config-store
-- Processing src/core
-- Boost Units are an optional feature of length.cc.  Ubuntu ships it within the libboost-dev package.  You may need to clean up the CMake cache after installing it to pass this check.
-- Processing src/csma
-- Processing src/csma-layout
-- Processing src/dsdv
-- Processing src/dsr
-- Processing src/energy
-- Processing src/fd-net-device
-- Checking for module 'libdpdk'
--   Package 'libdpdk', required by 'virtual:world', not found
-- Processing src/flow-monitor
-- Processing src/internet
-- Processing src/internet-apps
-- Processing src/lr-wpan
-- Processing src/lte
-- Processing src/mesh
-- Processing src/mobility
-- Processing src/netanim
-- Processing src/network
-- Processing src/nix-vector-routing
-- Processing src/olsr
-- Processing src/openflow
-- Skipping src/openflow
-- Processing src/point-to-point
-- Processing src/point-to-point-layout
-- Processing src/propagation
-- Processing src/sixlowpan
-- Processing src/spectrum
-- Processing src/stats
-- Processing src/tap-bridge
-- Processing src/test
-- Processing src/topology-read
-- Processing src/traffic-control
-- Processing src/uan
-- Processing src/virtual-net-device
-- Processing src/wifi
-- Processing src/wimax
-- Processing src/zigbee
-- ---- Summary of ns-3 settings:
Build profile                 : default
Build directory               : /home/tim/ns-3/ns-3-dev/build
Build with runtime asserts    : ON
Build with runtime logging    : ON
Build version embedding       : OFF (not requested)
BRITE Integration             : OFF (Missing headers: "Brite.h" and missing libraries: "brite")
DES Metrics event collection  : OFF (not requested)
DPDK NetDevice                : OFF (not requested)
Emulation FdNetDevice         : ON
Examples                      : ON
File descriptor NetDevice     : ON
GNU Scientific Library (GSL)  : OFF (GSL was not found)
GtkConfigStore                : OFF (Harfbuzz is required by GTK3 and was not found)
LibXml2 support               : ON
MPI Support                   : OFF (not requested)
ns-3 Click Integration        : OFF (Missing headers: "simclick.h" and missing libraries: "nsclick click")
ns-3 OpenFlow Integration     : OFF (Missing headers: "openflow.h" and missing libraries: "openflow")
Netmap emulation FdNetDevice  : OFF (missing dependency)
PyViz visualizer              : OFF (missing Python Bindings)
Python Bindings               : OFF (missing dependency: cppyy)
SQLite support                : OFF (Missing headers: "sqlite3.h" and missing libraries: "sqlite3")
Eigen3 support                : OFF (Eigen was not found)
Tap Bridge                    : ON
Tap FdNetDevice               : ON
Tests                         : ON


Modules configured to be built:
antenna                   aodv                      applications
bridge                    buildings                 config-store
core                      csma                      csma-layout
dsdv                      dsr                       energy
fd-net-device             flow-monitor              internet
internet-apps             lr-wpan                   lte
mesh                      mobility                  netanim
network                   nix-vector-routing        olsr
point-to-point            point-to-point-layout     propagation
sixlowpan                 spectrum                  stats
tap-bridge                test                      topology-read
traffic-control           uan                       virtual-net-device
wifi                      wimax                     zigbee


Modules that cannot be built:
brite                     click                     mpi
openflow                  visualizer


-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: /home/tim/ns-3/ns-3-dev/cmake-cache

Finished executing the following commands:

/usr/bin/cmake -S /home/tim/ns-3/ns-3-dev -B /home/tim/ns-3/ns-3-dev/cmake-cache -DNS3_EXAMPLES=ON -DNS3_TESTS=ON --warn-uninitialized

There are some missing headers, but it is not clear if they are required to build an instance able to run the test and first run.

[Tommaso Pecorella]

Super-weird, I opened a ticket: https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/issues/1217

As a temporary workaround, you can:

- Install gcc-11 (apt install g++-11)

- Set the compiler (export CXX=g++-11)

- Reconfigure and recompile (./ns3 clean; ./ns3 configure --enable-examples --enable-tests; ./ns3)

If you don't want to export the CXX variable in every shell, you can do one of the following:

- Add the export to your profile, or

- Use the https://wiki.debian.org/DebianAlternatives

Note that the configuration will tell you that you're still using the gcc 12 as the C compiler. This is generally harmless, as ns-3 doesn't have pure-C parts. However, if you want you can use "export CC=gcc-11".

[Tommaso Pecorella]

Good news: you don't need to downgrade the compiler.

Bad news: you'll have to use ns-3-dev (i.e., use git to clone the ns-3 repository).

The bug is going to be fixed as soon as https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests/2420 is merged.

[Gabriel Ferreira]

You don't need ns-3-dev. Just add `#include<cstddef>` to src/antenna/utils/symmetric-adjacency-matrix.h

[grou...@synthify.com]

@Gabriel Ferreira, thank you! I added the line, and build, test, and run first complete without errors.

tim@test03:~/ns-3/ns-allinone-3.44/ns-3.44$ ./ns3 run first
[0/2] Re-checking globbed directories...
ninja: no work to do.
At time +2s client sent 1024 bytes to 10.1.1.2 port 9
At time +2.00369s server received 1024 bytes from 10.1.1.1 port 49153
At time +2.00369s server sent 1024 bytes to 10.1.1.1 port 49153
At time +2.00737s client received 1024 bytes from 10.1.1.2 port 9