+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #185352 +++

Description of problem:

python_sitelib on RHEL3 and RHEL4 differs

Run this command on RHEL4 and RHEL3, both x86_64:

python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print sysconfig.get_python_lib(),
sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'

The first string is the python_sitearch, and the second string is that of
python_sitelib.

On RHEL3 x86_64:
$ python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print sysconfig.get_python_lib(),
sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'

/usr/lib64/python2.2/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.2/site-packages


On RHEL4 x86_64:
$ python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print sysconfig.get_python_lib(),
sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'

/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.3/site-packages

Why the differences?  This problem seems to keep several x86_64 python-related
packages from building on RHEL3.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

RHEL3 and RHEL4 x86_64, any update level

-- Additional comment from dag on 2006-03-14 01:18 EST --
I have seen this as well. All noarch x86_64 packages fail to build, and some
mixed noarch/arch packages (that both use python_sitelib and python_sitearch)
fail to build as well (python-elementree comes to mind).

FC2 is also affected by this problem. (as I do not have a RH9 or FC1 x86_64)

[root@lisse rpms]# dar-exec "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'"
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for el4a.
/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for el4i.
/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for fc3a.
/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for fc3i.
/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for fc2a.
/usr/lib64/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for fc2i.
/usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for fc1i.
/usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for el3a.
/usr/lib64/python2.2/site-packages /usr/lib64/python2.2/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for el3i.
/usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages
= Executing "python -c 'from distutils import sysconfig; print
sysconfig.get_python_lib(), sysconfig.get_python_lib(1)'" for rh9i.
/usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages /usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages

So I bet everything prior to python 2.3.4 is affected.

Here is a diff between EL3 and EL4 for distutils/sysconfig.py
     if os.name == "posix":
+        if plat_specific or standard_lib:
+            lib = "lib64"
+        else:
+            lib = "lib"
         libpython = os.path.join(prefix,
-                                 "lib64", "python" + sys.version[:3])
+                                 lib, "python" + get_python_version())

This makes it impossible to cross-build python packages.

-- Additional comment from misa on 2006-03-14 08:17 EST --
I guess we didn't catch these when we did the work for multilib.

-- Additional comment from dag on 2006-04-05 20:42 EST --
The recent EL3 U7 python update would have been a good opportunity to fix this.
Is it planned to be fixed in the next EL3 python update ? Or at least queued
when there is a real need to release a python update ?

-- Additional comment from misa on 2006-04-07 17:13 EST --
Dag, we are working on getting a schedule for this bug. It could not get into
U7, it was too late for that.