# Installing Gems

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 2, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764 "2009-01-02T17:20:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Abhishek_Pratap)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764/1 "2009-01-02T17:20:54Z")

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Hi All

Getting stuck at the first step with gems. I guess a tough start but  
hoping for a easy future.

So here I am.

I did install Gems in the separate /export directory of my Red Hat  
system.

ruby setup.rb --prefix=/export --destdir=/export

Now trying to install rails and its dependencies I see this error.  
Possibly becoz I am not installing it in the central area as I our  
admin policies dont allow it do.

gem install rails  
/export/bin/gem:8:in `require’: no such file to load – rubygems  
(LoadError)  
from /export/bin/gem:8

Thanks and excuse me if this sounds too silly 🙂  
-Abhi

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**Author:** ![Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Abhishek_Pratap)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764/2 "2009-01-02T17:44:24Z")

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On 2 Jan 2009, at 16:07, Abhishek Pratap wrote:

> 

You might need to tell ruby to look in that folder eg by passing ruby -  
I/export/wherever/its/put/those/files

Fred

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**Author:** ![Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Abhishek_Pratap)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764/3 "2009-01-02T18:12:04Z")

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Hi Fred

Thanks for a quick reply. However I am unable to follow up. May be  
becoz I am platform ignorant till now.

So you want me to pass the ruby -I/export/wherever/its/put/those/  
files but where exactly ?

Thanks again for your patience.  
-Abhi

On Jan 2, 11:43 am, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

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**Author:** ![Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Abhishek_Pratap)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764/4 "2009-01-02T18:13:52Z")

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On 2 Jan 2009, at 16:57, Abhishek Pratap wrote:

> Hi Fred
> 
> Thanks for a quick reply. However I am unable to follow up. May be  
> becoz I am platform ignorant till now.
> 
> So you want me to pass the ruby -I/export/wherever/its/put/those/  
> files but where exactly ?

I don’t know where those files got installed 🙂  
once you’ve worked out what the -I should be you can use RUBY\_OPT  
environment variable to have it added automatically if my memory is  
correct.

Fred

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**Author:** ![Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Abhishek\_Pratap](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Abhishek_Pratap)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/installing-gems/156764/5 "2009-01-02T19:49:48Z")

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Thanks … got the hook of it now…

Works fine…

The ENV variable is RUBYOPT.

Cheers,  
-Abhi

On Jan 2, 12:12 pm, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)