# Gem install failure - probably easy to fix **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 2, 2009, 11:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797 "2009-09-02T11:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/1 "2009-09-02T11:07:52Z")
I can get “gem install …” to execute, but not “sudo gem install…”. I’ve always had to use the latter, and to my best knowledge still do, but at present only the former works. I’ve never seen this problem, and am baffled by it. My questions: 1. Why have I had to do “sudo gem install…” up to this point, and now that suddenly doesn’t work, but plain “gem install…” does? My best guess is that it may have to do with where I installed ruby (I was following the instructions found at [http://blog.michaelgreenly.com/2009/04/multiple-versions-of-ruby-on-ubuntu-3.html](http://blog.michaelgreenly.com/2009/04/multiple-versions-of-ruby-on-ubuntu-3.html) 1. Do I have a problem here, or can I just go forward from this point? My best guess is that there’s no problem. As I write this, all the gems I’m requesting are installing just fine. I use the webby gem a lot, and I just got IT to do its thing without a problem. 1. Finally, my “gem install…” of a dozen or so gem was successful, but after the ri documentation was installed, it crashed - here’s the last bit of the output: Installing ri documentation for logging-1.2.2… Installing ri documentation for loquacious-1.3.0… Installing ri documentation for webby-0.9.4… ERROR: While executing gem … (Errno::EACCES) Permission denied - /home/tomc/.ri/cache/.doc\_dirs How do I get rdoc to run on all these gems? (There are about 20 installed, counting dependencies). I’d just fire up rdoc in my “home… .gem” dir, but I’m afraid everything will end up in the same doc file. Don’t know what to do here, and my study of the rdoc -h output isn’t helping me. Thanks for any help offered! (see below for environment details, etc.) T. ===== Heres some relevant CLI output – tomc@tomc-desktop:/$ gem install rake WARNING: Installing to ~/.gem since /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/lib/ruby/gems/1.8 and /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/bin aren’t both writable. Successfully installed rake-0.8.7 1 gem installed Installing ri documentation for rake-0.8.7… Installing RDoc documentation for rake-0.8.7… tomc@tomc-desktop:/$ gem list \*\*\* LOCAL GEMS \*\*\* rake (0.8.7) tomc@tomc-desktop:/$ rake -v rake aborted! No Rakefile found (looking for: rakefile, Rakefile, rakefile.rb, Rakefile.rb) /home/tomc/.gem/ruby/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2377:in `raw\_load\_rakefile’ (See full trace by running task with --trace) ================ Environment details – running Kubuntu Linux 9.0.4 I’ve just installed ruby 1.8.7 from source, and then rubygem 1.3.5, with the result: $ gem env RubyGems Environment: - RUBYGEMS VERSION: 1.3.5 - RUBY VERSION: 1.8.7 (2009-04-08 patchlevel 160) [i686-linux] - INSTALLATION DIRECTORY: /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/lib/ruby/gems/1.8 - RUBY EXECUTABLE: /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/bin/ruby - EXECUTABLE DIRECTORY: /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/bin - RUBYGEMS PLATFORMS: - ruby - x86-linux - GEM PATHS: - /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/lib/ruby/gems/1.8 - /home/tomc/.gem/ruby/1.8 - GEM CONFIGURATION: - :update\_sources =\> true - :verbose =\> true - :benchmark =\> false - :backtrace =\> false - :bulk\_threshold =\> 1000 - REMOTE SOURCES: - [http://gems.rubyforge.org/](http://gems.rubyforge.org/) $ echo $PATH /opt/ruby-1.8.7-p160/bin:/home/tomc/.gem/ruby/1.8/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/2 "2009-09-02T15:45:55Z")
Dear Tom, > ERROR: While executing gem … (Errno::EACCES) > Permission denied - /home/tomc/.ri/cache/.doc\_dirs you don’t have sufficient writing rights on that file, probably because you installed the gems as normal user rather than with sudo privileges. There is by default no “root” user in Ubuntu like in other Linuxes, but you can create one and use “gem install” as root: sudo passwd root - and then do all sorts of (potentially dangerous things …) (look here: [RootSudo - Community Help Wiki](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo)) Best regards, Axel ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/3 "2009-09-02T17:03:47Z")
Axel E. wrote: > privileges. Actually, no. I did install rubygems as root user. THEN I discovered that “sudo gem install…” wouldn’t work, but “gem install…” would. I don’t understand what happened. t. > Best regards, > > Axel – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/4 "2009-09-02T22:24:05Z")
-------- Original-Nachricht -------- > Datum: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:03:12 +0900 > Von: Tom C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > An: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > Betreff: Re: gem install failure - probably easy to fix > > because you installed the gems as normal user rather than with sudo > > privileges. > > Actually, no. I did install rubygems as root user. THEN I discovered > that “sudo gem install…” wouldn’t work, but “gem install…” would. > > I don’t understand what happened. Tom, then I’d guess that the cache file is locked (maybe by some other installation process), and that you’d need to unlock it using eg., chown . Best regards, Axel ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/5 "2009-09-03T01:22:39Z")
Eric H. wrote: > Wow. Now that’s a redirect, folks. Completely solved my problem. Great response, Eric. AND…I find that “gem server” no longer works for me. There’s some kind of strangeness in how my gems are installed. I’m looking into it. Meanwhile, “gem help server” was so very helpful to me that I’m almost inclined not to bother. Rubygems is an amazing piece of work. I can easy fix THIS problem by sending the server to where the rdoc stuff actually is, rather than to where it thinks it is. Cool. Thanks, Eric. t. – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/6 "2009-09-03T01:45:29Z")
Axel E. wrote: > > > because you installed the gems as normal user rather than with sudo > > > Tom, > > then I’d guess that the cache file is locked (maybe by some other > installation process), and that you’d need to unlock it using eg., chown . > > Best regards, > > Axel Very interesting. Sometimes the obvious solution is the right solution, and was in this case. Resetting permissions for the /ri dir fixed everything. Thanks! t. – ```auto Tom C., MS MA, LMHC - Private practice Psychotherapist Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 << removed_email_address@domain.invalid >> (email) << TomCloyd.com >> (website) << sleightmind.wordpress.com >> (mental health weblog) ``` ---
**Author:** ![tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tbcox23](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tbcox23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-install-failure-probably-easy-to-fix/174797/7 "2009-09-02T23:24:24Z")
On Sep 2, 2009, at 02:03, Tom C. wrote: > How do I get rdoc to run on all these gems? (There are about 20 > installed, counting dependencies). I’d just fire up rdoc in my > “home… .gem” dir, but I’m afraid everything will end up in the > same doc file. Don’t know what to do here, and my study of the rdoc - > h output isn’t helping me. gem help rdoc