ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

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I ran into a tiny pickle while installing the ibm_db gem on Ubuntu:

Select which gem to install for your platform (i486-linux)
 1. ibm_db 0.9.5 (ruby)
 2. ibm_db 0.9.5 (mswin32)
 3. ibm_db 0.9.4 (ruby)
 4. ibm_db 0.9.4 (mswin32)
 5. Skip this gem
 6. Cancel installation
> 1
Building native extensions.  This could take a while...
ERROR:  While executing gem ... (Gem::Installer::ExtensionBuildError)
    ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.

ruby extconf.rb install ibm_db
extconf.rb:9:in `require': no such file to load -- mkmf (LoadError)
	from extconf.rb:9

The problem is that mkmf isn’t included in the base Ruby package on Ubuntu. You need need the full development package to install gems from source. Installing it solves the problem.

sudo apt-get install ruby1.8-dev

Comments

6 responses to “ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.”

July 3, 2008

Error: please fill the required fields (name, email).

pickles are in python not ruby 🙂

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July 7, 2008

Leons Petrazickis

I think you will find that they are actually in PHP, what with PECL and all.

http://pecl.php.net/

Reply
November 22, 2008

Faisal

Thanks a lot it solved my problem.I was missing the package i.e ruby1.8-dev

Reply
June 3, 2009

cz9qvh

Thank you, that helped a bunch.

Reply
February 26, 2013

isomorphisms

Hmm, I have this error with gem install idn and I do have ruby1.9.1-dev selected.

Reply
February 27, 2013

devolute

This fixed everything when I did `sudo apt-get install ruby1.9.1-dev`. Cheers!

Reply