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Ubuntu Bionic provides Protobuf 3.0.0, and I'd like to use the latest release, 3.6.1.

I've gone and built the Protobuf sources and installed them with the prefix /usr, so the files end up in the same place that the official Ubuntu package puts them.

However, if I subsequently issue an apt-get install protobuf-compiler, it will overwrite my protoc binary with the older version. (Actually, protobuf-compiler is specified as a build dependency of a package I'm building with mk-build-deps.)

I've tried using apt-mark manual protobuf-compiler to tell apt that I've manually installed it, but it tells me I can't do that because the package is not installed. (How does it determine this? I don't know.)

Similarly apt-mark hold does not prevent the binary from being overwritten.

What is the correct way to install this software, have apt understand that the dependency is satisfied, and not have it overwrite my newer build with the old one?

rgov
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1 Answers1

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A simple solution could be simply to change the installation directory of protobuf-compiler 3.6.1.

Instead of installing to /usr you could install to some other directory. On my work PC (on which I don't have sudo rights) I install to a directory I created called /data/local_installs. Then update the path environment variable

export PATH=/data/local_installs:$PATH

and you're ready to go.

With this method you don't have to worry about what apt is doing, as the protobuf-compiler kept in /data/local_installs will always be found in your path before the apt controlled version in /usr

jwalton
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