VLC on qnap ts809 pro

[lord_strange]

I'm trying to get this going as part of an attempt to set up an air video server to stream/transcode video over my lan to my wife's ipad. But I'm a linux n00b so please be gentle.

I was following these steps from a useful guide posted in a thread over at the qnap forums:

http://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... 04#p152104

cd /opt/etc/
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git
cd /opt/etc/x264
ln -s /share/HDA_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/bin/bash /bin/bash (temporary - until next boot linking of /bin/bash)
./configure --prefix=/opt (be sure to use the /opt prefix !)

Suitably modified for my own directory structure, I said:

opt/bin/git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264.git

This got me the message:

Cloning into x264...

After waiting an hour or more with no further console output I had a look for what this had done; created an x264 directory off the root, basically.

But when I tried to do the final step, saying:

/share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/bin$ /opt/bin/gcc /x264/configure --prefix=/opt

I got:

/x264/configure: file not recognized: File format not recognized
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

And now I'm stuck. Am I using an incorrect switch for the configure command e.g. does my dir need to be something other than /opt? Any help is very welcome.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

What the heck are you trying to do? Care to read the INSTALL file?

[lord_strange]

Sorry - I'm trying to set up an air video server. Air video is an app from the Apple store which allows network video streaming, but they only officially offer mac and windows clients for the server side, it seems. However, it is apparently possible to get it going on linux if you install various packages, and vlc is one of them; air video needs it to be present. Hence this post. But there's no install file that I'm aware of, in the x264 directory or anywhere else. I'm trying to follow a walkthrough posted on the qnap forums and have got stuck at the configure command which returns an error I don't understand. Any help appreciated.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

You don't expect to compile a shell script with the C compiler? If you have no experience compiling software from source, you really need to read the INSTALL file.

[lord_strange]

Okay, you see, that's insufficiently descriptive for me, and I don't really like the tone either. Short responses that come across as either smug or snotty are just wasting your time and mine. I made clear at the outset that I don't have a clue, so either make allowances for that or let someone else give me a hand. I hope you can tell from the way I write English that I have enough intelligence to follow clear instructions, but I can't say your responses so far fall into that category.

So, are you asking me to read the linux man page for the 'install' command, or what? Because as I said, I looked in the x264 directory created by the steps I detailed and there was no file named 'install' present. I'd gladly read it if I knew where to find it. As for why a C compiler won't compile a shell script, I don't have a clue, but would love some enlightenment if you'd care to provide it. But the commands I list seem to have worked for the guy who detailed the above steps over at the QNAP forum, so I don't get why they aren't working for me. Please either address this issue this thread is about politely and in detail, or don't bother responding again.

[xtophe]

He's saying that trying to compile a program is not for n00b. and compiling VLC and its depedencies is especially difficult. So util you gain some experience with Linux, stick with packages from your distribution

[lord_strange]

Again, this really isn't to the point. I clearly have 'some' experience with linux, or I wouldn't have been able to get as far as I did. I knew enough to get into the server over the network, get a terminal open, and start installing packages. A total n00b can't do that stuff. What I want help with is this very specific error.

Now so far as I can gather, the QNAP server that I'm trying to get this going on runs a linux firmware called unslung, which is a modified version of NSLU2-linux for embedded devices. The package manager it uses natively is called qpkg, but after installing optware I was able to use ipkg to install a whole bunch of stuff. So far as I can see, everything should be there that the compiler needs to run.

I can't work out why not, but your advice seems to amount to 'go away and give up'. That isn't helpful, so if you can't do better, I'd request that as with Remi, you just don't bother. If you'd really like to engage with this and help me fix it, I'd be very grateful. Otherwise, please find something else you'd rather be doing.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Just do:

share/MD0_DATA/.qpkg/Optware/bin$ /x264/configure --prefix=/opt