Resolving the libR.so Error in RStudio Server Installation on Red Hat Systems

Understanding the Error: libR.so Not Found

Introduction to R and its Installation

R is a popular programming language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It has become an essential tool in data analysis and machine learning. However, installing and configuring R on a Linux system can be challenging due to various dependencies and libraries required by the package.

The error message “/usr/lib/rstudio-server/bin/rsession: error while loading shared libraries: libR.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory” indicates that the libR.so library is missing from the installation path. This library is crucial for running RStudio Server, which relies on it to execute functions and load packages.

The Correct Installation Process

To correctly install R on a Red Hat system, follow these steps:

Configure R: Run the following command in the terminal to configure R:

./configure –enable-R-shlib –with-readline=no –with-zlib

    This step is crucial as it enables building shared libraries for R.

2.  **Clean and Make**: Clean any existing build files using `make clean` and then compile the package using `make`.
    ```bash
make clean
make

Install R: Finally, install R using the make install command.

make install

    This step copies the R binary to the system's installation path.

### Resolving the libR.so Error

The error message indicates that the system cannot find the shared library `libR.so`. The correct path for this library is within the R home directory (`/local/home/UserX/R-3.2.3`). To resolve this issue, you need to adjust the installation paths of RStudio Server and other applications.

### Adjusting Installation Paths

The provided command `ln -s /local/home/UserX/R-3.2.3/bin /usr/local/bin` creates a symbolic link from the R home directory's binary path (`/local/home/UserX/R-3.2.3/bin`) to `/usr/local/bin`. This step is essential as it makes the R binary executable by system applications.

Similarly, create symbolic links for the R bin and library directories:
```bash
ln -s /local/home/UserX/R-3.2.3/bin /usr/bin
ln -s /local/home/UserX/R-3.2.3/lib /usr/local/lib

These steps ensure that system applications can find and use the R shared libraries.

Additional Recommendations

While installing R, you may also want to consider installing additional packages like readline and zlib. These packages are required for some R features but might not be installed automatically during the installation process.

Additionally, to avoid similar issues in the future, ensure that your system’s package manager (e.g., yum on Red Hat) is up-to-date before installing new packages. This will prevent any conflicts with previously installed packages.

Troubleshooting Steps

To troubleshoot further:

Check if the symbolic links were created successfully by running the ls -l command.

ls -l /usr/local/bin | grep R


2.  Verify that the R binary executable is present in the correct location:
    ```bash
find /usr/local/bin -name rsession

Check if any packages are missing necessary dependencies by running yum list or dpkg -l.

By following these steps and adjusting installation paths, you should be able to resolve the libR.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory error on your Red Hat system.

Further Resources

For more information on R and its dependencies:

The official R documentation provides a comprehensive introduction to the package.
The RStudio User Manual covers various aspects of RStudio, including installation and configuration.

For more details on Linux system administration:

The [Red Hat documentation](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/ installing_and_configuring_red_hat_enterprise_linux/index) provides comprehensive guides for various tasks.
The Linux command-line reference manual offers a detailed list of available commands and their arguments.

By following these resources, you can gain a deeper understanding of R, Linux system administration, and the required dependencies for running RStudio Server on Red Hat systems.

Last modified on 2023-11-04