Failure is as follows: Making all in libgnome make[2]: Entering directory `/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/libgnome' /usr/bin/libtool --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\""/usr/lib64"\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\""/usr/share"\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\""/usr/bin"\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\""/var"\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\""/usr/share/locale"\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\""/etc"\" -DVERSION=\""1.4.2"\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -c gnome-config.c mkdir .libs gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\"/usr/lib64\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\"/usr/share\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\"/usr/bin\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\"/var\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\"/usr/share/locale\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\"/etc\" -DVERSION=\"1.4.2\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -Wp,-MD,.deps/gnome-config.pp -c gnome-config.c -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/gnome-config.o gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\"/usr/lib64\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\"/usr/share\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\"/usr/bin\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\"/var\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\"/usr/share/locale\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\"/etc\" -DVERSION=\"1.4.2\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -Wp,-MD,.deps/gnome-config.pp -c gnome-config.c -o gnome-config.o >/dev/null 2>&1 /usr/bin/libtool --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\""/usr/lib64"\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\""/usr/share"\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\""/usr/bin"\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\""/var"\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\""/usr/share/locale"\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\""/etc"\" -DVERSION=\""1.4.2"\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -c gnome-dentry.c gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\"/usr/lib64\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\"/usr/share\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\"/usr/bin\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\"/var\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\"/usr/share/locale\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\"/etc\" -DVERSION=\"1.4.2\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -Wp,-MD,.deps/gnome-dentry.pp -c gnome-dentry.c -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/gnome-dentry.o gnome-dentry.c: In function 'g_file_get_contents': gnome-dentry.c:956: warning: passing argument 5 of 'get_contents_regfile' from incompatible pointer type gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\"/usr/lib64\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\"/usr/share\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\"/usr/bin\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\"/var\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\"/usr/share/locale\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\"/etc\" -DVERSION=\"1.4.2\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -Wp,-MD,.deps/gnome-dentry.pp -c gnome-dentry.c -o gnome-dentry.o >/dev/null 2>&1 /usr/bin/libtool --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\""/usr/lib64"\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\""/usr/share"\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\""/usr/bin"\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\""/var"\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\""/usr/share/locale"\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\""/etc"\" -DVERSION=\""1.4.2"\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -c gnome-exec.c gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I.. -I./.. -DNEED_GNOMESUPPORT_H -I../support -I../support -I../intl -I../intl -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -DGNOMELIBDIR=\"/usr/lib64\" -DGNOMEDATADIR=\"/usr/share\" -DGNOMEBINDIR=\"/usr/bin\" -DGNOMELOCALSTATEDIR=\"/var\" -DGNOMELOCALEDIR=\"/usr/share/locale\" -DGNOMESYSCONFDIR=\"/etc\" -DVERSION=\"1.4.2\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"Gnome\" -I/usr/include/libpng10 -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/usr/include/gtk-1.2 -I/usr/include/glib-1.2 -I/usr/lib64/glib/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -I/builddir/build/BUILD/gnome-libs-1.4.2/db.1.85/include -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mminimal-toc -I/usr/include/libpng10 -Wall -Wunused -Wp,-MD,.deps/gnome-exec.pp -c gnome-exec.c -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/gnome-exec.o In file included from /usr/include/asm/elf.h:5, from /usr/include/asm/sigcontext.h:12, from /usr/include/bits/sigcontext.h:28, from /usr/include/signal.h:333, from /usr/include/sys/wait.h:31, from gnome-exec.c:48: /usr/include/asm/types.h:20: error: two or more data types in declaration specifiers gnome-exec.c: In function 'gnome_execute_async_with_env_fds': gnome-exec.c:193: warning: format '%d' expects type 'int', but argument 5 has type 'long unsigned int' gnome-exec.c:113: warning: ignoring return value of 'write', declared with attribute warn_unused_result gnome-exec.c:114: warning: ignoring return value of 'write', declared with attribute warn_unused_result gnome-exec.c:125: warning: ignoring return value of 'write', declared with attribute warn_unused_result gnome-exec.c:144: warning: ignoring return value of 'chdir', declared with attribute warn_unused_result gnome-exec.c:178: warning: ignoring return value of 'write', declared with attribute warn_unused_result Full build log available here: http://people.redhat.com/notting/ppc64-rebuild/gnome-libs-1.4.2-5.fc7/build.log Seems to be some sort of weirdness/interaction with standard include files; can't diagnose any further as I have no access to a ppc64 box. Other primary architectures seem OK.
The problem was caused by the configure script's inability to find umode_t on ppc64. Adding an include of <signal.h> is sufficient, in a roundabout way, for the type to be found and the build to succeed.