Python error on a computer
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While attempting to install Thumbor on a CentOS server I recently had the following error message:

------------------------------------------------------------
/usr/bin/pip run on Thu Sep 18 21:07:45 2014
Getting page https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/
URLs to search for versions for pycrypto in /usr/lib64/python2.6/site-packages:
* https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/
Analyzing links from page https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.0.1.tar.gz#md5=4d5674f3898a573691ffb335e8d749cd (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.0.1
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.1.0.tar.gz#md5=1d3eb04f06e6f09a080bc37fb019f9bf (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.1.0
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.2.tar.gz#md5=4f0ed728b14b98f09120cb2ec461ec98 (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.2
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.3.tar.gz#md5=2b811cfbfc342d83ee614097effb8101 (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.3
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.4.1.tar.gz#md5=c2a1404a848797fb0806f3e11c29ef15 (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.4.1
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.4.tar.gz#md5=274fa44c30a320d56460a93fdd95e702 (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.4
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.5.tar.gz#md5=783e45d4a1a309e03ab378b00f97b291 (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.5
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.6.1.tar.gz#md5=55a61a054aa66812daf5161a0d5d7eda (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.6.1
  Found link https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.6.tar.gz#md5=88dad0a270d1fe83a39e0467a66a22bb (from https://pypi.python.org/simple/pycrypto/), version: 2.6
Using version 2.6.1 (newest of versions: 2.6.1, 2.6, 2.5, 2.4.1, 2.4, 2.3, 2.2, 2.1.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.1)
Downloading/unpacking pycrypto from https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.6.1.tar.gz#md5=55a61a054aa66812daf5161a0d5d7eda
  Running setup.py egg_info for package pycrypto
    running egg_info
    writing pip-egg-info/pycrypto.egg-info/PKG-INFO
    writing top-level names to pip-egg-info/pycrypto.egg-info/top_level.txt
    writing dependency_links to pip-egg-info/pycrypto.egg-info/dependency_links.txt
    warning: manifest_maker: standard file '-c' not found
    reading manifest file 'pip-egg-info/pycrypto.egg-info/SOURCES.txt'
    reading manifest template 'MANIFEST.in'
    writing manifest file 'pip-egg-info/pycrypto.egg-info/SOURCES.txt'
  Source in /tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto has version 2.6.1, which satisfies requirement pycrypto from https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pycrypto/pycrypto-2.6.1.tar.gz#md5=55a61a054aa66812daf5161a0d5d7eda
Installing collected packages: pycrypto
  Found existing installation: pycrypto 2.0.1
    Uninstalling pycrypto:
      Removing file or directory /usr/lib64/python2.6/site-packages/pycrypto-2.0.1-py2.6.egg-info
      Successfully uninstalled pycrypto
  Running setup.py install for pycrypto
    Running command /usr/bin/python -c "import setuptools;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py';exec(compile(open(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-C4u4v3-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed
    running install
    running build
    running build_py
    running build_ext
    running build_configure
    checking for gcc... gcc
    checking whether the C compiler works... yes
    checking for C compiler default output file name... a.out
    checking for suffix of executables...
    checking whether we are cross compiling... configure: error: in `/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto':
    configure: error: cannot run C compiled programs.
    If you meant to cross compile, use `--host'.
    See `config.log' for more details
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "", line 1, in 
      File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 456, in 
        core.setup(**kw)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/core.py", line 152, in setup
        dist.run_commands()
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 975, in run_commands
        self.run_command(cmd)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
        cmd_obj.run()
      File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/setuptools/command/install.py", line 53, in run
        return _install.run(self)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/command/install.py", line 577, in run
        self.run_command('build')
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
        self.distribution.run_command(command)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
        cmd_obj.run()
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/command/build.py", line 134, in run
        self.run_command(cmd_name)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
        self.distribution.run_command(command)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
        cmd_obj.run()
      File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 251, in run
        self.run_command(cmd_name)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
        self.distribution.run_command(command)
      File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
        cmd_obj.run()
      File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 278, in run
        raise RuntimeError("autoconf error")
    RuntimeError: autoconf error
    Complete output from command /usr/bin/python -c "import setuptools;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py';exec(compile(open(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-C4u4v3-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed:
    running install
running build
running build_py
running build_ext
running build_configure
checking for gcc... gcc
checking whether the C compiler works... yes
checking for C compiler default output file name... a.out
checking for suffix of executables...
checking whether we are cross compiling... configure: error: in `/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto':
configure: error: cannot run C compiled programs.
If you meant to cross compile, use `--host'.
See `config.log' for more details
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "", line 1, in 
  File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 456, in 
    core.setup(**kw)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/core.py", line 152, in setup
    dist.run_commands()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 975, in run_commands
    self.run_command(cmd)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
    cmd_obj.run()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/setuptools/command/install.py", line 53, in run
    return _install.run(self)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/command/install.py", line 577, in run
    self.run_command('build')
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
    self.distribution.run_command(command)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
    cmd_obj.run()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/command/build.py", line 134, in run
    self.run_command(cmd_name)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
    self.distribution.run_command(command)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
    cmd_obj.run()
  File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 251, in run
    self.run_command(cmd_name)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/cmd.py", line 333, in run_command
    self.distribution.run_command(command)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.6/distutils/dist.py", line 995, in run_command
    cmd_obj.run()
  File "/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py", line 278, in run
    raise RuntimeError("autoconf error")
RuntimeError: autoconf error
----------------------------------------
  Rolling back uninstall of pycrypto
  Replacing /usr/lib64/python2.6/site-packages/pycrypto-2.0.1-py2.6.egg-info
Command /usr/bin/python -c "import setuptools;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py';exec(compile(open(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-C4u4v3-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed failed with error code 1 in /tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto
Exception information:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/pip/basecommand.py", line 139, in main
    status = self.run(options, args)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/pip/commands/install.py", line 271, in run
    requirement_set.install(install_options, global_options, root=options.root_path)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/pip/req.py", line 1185, in install
    requirement.install(install_options, global_options, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/pip/req.py", line 592, in install
    cwd=self.source_dir, filter_stdout=self._filter_install, show_stdout=False)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/pip/util.py", line 662, in call_subprocess
    % (command_desc, proc.returncode, cwd))
InstallationError: Command /usr/bin/python -c "import setuptools;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto/setup.py';exec(compile(open(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-C4u4v3-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed failed with error code 1 in /tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto

It essentially boils down to:

checking whether we are cross compiling... configure: error: in `/tmp/pip-build-root/pycrypto':
configure: error: cannot run C compiled programs.
If you meant to cross compile, use `--host'.
See `config.log' for more details

Weird, I have gcc and all compile programs installed.

It took me a fair time of troubleshooting, but I finally figured out it was because it was attempting to build this in /tmp, which I have set to mount at noexec for security purposes. This disallows execution of programs in this directory.

Running

mount -oremount,exec /tmp

Allowed it to run without issue.

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