# "uninitialized constant Gem::Etc (NameError)" when starting server

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/uninitialized-constant-gem-etc-nameerror-when-starting-server/159377>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 4, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/uninitialized-constant-gem-etc-nameerror-when-starting-server/159377 "2009-02-04T00:56:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jslicari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7c8e57/32.png) [@jslicari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jslicari)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/uninitialized-constant-gem-etc-nameerror-when-starting-server/159377/1 "2009-02-04T00:56:41Z")

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I keep getting this when I try to start the server:

[Macintosh:rails/work/demo] jslicari% script/server  
/Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:723:in `set_paths': uninitialized constant Gem::Etc (NameError) from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:719:in`each’  
from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:719:in `set_paths' from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:526:in`path’  
from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/source\_index.rb:66:in  
`installed_spec_directories' from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/source_index.rb:56:in`from\_installed\_gems’  
from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:736:in `source_index' from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:140:in`activate’  
from /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb:49:in `gem' from ./script/../config/boot.rb:59:in`load\_rails\_gem’  
from ./script/…/config/boot.rb:53:in `load_initializer' from ./script/../config/boot.rb:38:in`run’  
from ./script/…/config/boot.rb:11:in `boot!' from ./script/../config/boot.rb:109 from script/server:2:in`require’  
from script/server:2

I have made sure everything is up to date with “sudo gem update” and  
“sudo gem update --system”

Here are the versions I have:

[Macintosh:rails/work/demo] jslicari% gem -v  
1.3.1  
[Macintosh:rails/work/demo] jslicari% ruby -v  
ruby 1.8.1 (2003-12-25) [powerpc-darwin]  
[Macintosh:rails/work/demo] jslicari% rails -v  
Rails 2.2.2

Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jslicari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7c8e57/32.png) [@jslicari](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jslicari)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/uninitialized-constant-gem-etc-nameerror-when-starting-server/159377/2 "2009-03-12T16:04:06Z")

</div>

Your version of ruby may be too old. See  
[http://rubyforge.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=22313&group\_id=126&atid=575](http://rubyforge.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=22313&group_id=126&atid=575)