Install Amazon UK MP3 Downloader on 11.1

[consused]

This Howto will explain how to install version 1.0.4 of the Amazon MP3 Downloader (UK package) under openSUSE 11.1. Currently, the MP3 Download Store at amazon.co.uk only provides a package for openSUSE 11.0, that will not work directly with 11.1. However, you can get the Downloader working under 11.1 with these manual steps.

Step 1: Install Gtkmm2

If the gtkmm2 package of libraries is not installed on your system, install it now from the main OSS repository for 11.1, normally using YaST or zypper.

Step 2: Download Boost and Libicu RPMs from the Build Service

You will need boost-1.34.1 RPM and libicu-3.8.1 RPM

1. Go to the Build Service
2. Select openSUSE 11.0 and search for boost.
3. Download the appropriate RPM for your architecture by clicking on its name and save it in your home directory. Do not use the 1-click install or try to install the RPM directly. That won't work. For example, I downloaded boost-1.34.1-42.1.i586.rpm
4. Again with openSUSE 11.0 selected, search for libicu, download and save it in your home directory as described in Step 2.3. For example, I downloaded libicu-3.8.1-21.1.i586.rpm

Step 3: Extract files from the Boost and Libicu RPMs

Assuming you downloaded it to your home directory, open a terminal and run these commands, substituting the name of the file as appropriate:

1. cd
2. mkdir boost libicu
3. cd boost
4. rpm2cpio ../boost-1.34.1-42.1.i586.rpm | cpio -idmv
5. cd ../libicu
6. rpm2cpio ../libicu-3.8.1-21.1.i586.rpm | cpio -idmv

Step 4: Download openSUSE 11.0 version of Amazon MP3 Downloader

Go to Amazon's MP3 Downloader page. Download amazonmp3.rpm and save it in your home directory. Pick the openSUSE 11.0 version. Do not try to install the RPM directly. That won't work.

Step 5: Extract files from the Amazon MP3 RPM

Assuming you downloaded it to your home directory, open a terminal and run these commands:

1. cd
2. mkdir amazonmp3
3. cd amazonmp3
4. rpm2cpio ../amazonmp3.rpm | cpio -idmv

Step 6: Install Boost and Libicu libraries

As root, we will copy the boost and libicu libraries to /usr/local/lib. There, they should not conflict with any YaST-managed packages. Run these commands, substituting your non-root username for <username>:

1. su -
2. cp -d /home/<username>/boost/usr/lib/* /usr/local/lib
3. cp -d /home/<username>/libicu/usr/lib/* /usr/local/lib

Step 7: Install Amazon MP3 Dowmloader

Still as root, we will copy the Amazon bin and share directory contents to /usr/local/bin and /usr/local/share, respectively. But first, we need to make the subdirectories of ~amazon/usr/share readable by non-root users.

1. cp /home/<username>/amazonmp3/usr/bin/* /usr/local/bin
2. chmod -R og+rX /home/<username>/amazonmp3/usr/share/*
3. cp -r /home/<username>/amazonmp3/usr/share/* /usr/local/share

Step 8: Reload libs

Since you've copied new library files into the lib directories, as root you need to run:

1. ldconfig

This will rescan the lib directories and make the libraries available.

Step 9: As a normal user, run amazonmp3 from the command line

It should launch in in its own window, and also launch your system's default browser with a page from amazon.co.uk displaying Success! You can proceed from that page to the MP3 Download Store or reload the page in your preferred browser and then proceed to the Store. Do read the page about "Using the Amazon MP3 Downloader" by clicking "Amazon MP3 Support" on the toolbar at the top.

Note that Amazon's website may not recognize that the application is installed when you try to purchase an album for the first time. If that happens, get to the page to "Install the MP3 Downloader" and look for the tiny link on the page that says something like: "If you have already installed the Amazon MP3 Downloader, click here to enable it for use with this browser." Click the provided link and it should be fine from there. When you try to download an album using Firefox, you may need to point it to the amazonmp3 executable to open the AMZ file that the service sends to you.

[cbaltar2]

Thanks for posting this how-to - however, I ran into problems following your steps: trying to launch amazonmp3 complains that it can't find the 1.33.1 version of the libboost libraries. So I went it and renamed the 1.34.1 ones to 1.33.1 and ran ldconfig. Tried to launch amazonmp3 again, I get the same complaint, so I figured it wasn't reading them in /usr/local/lib, so I copied every renamed 1.33.1 library into /usr/lib. There, it did see them, but then it segfaulted and crashed. What's the deal?

[consused]

cbaltar2

You're welcome. Just changing names will not work, as you discovered. I am assuming you downloaded the correct libraries as the instructions are clear. So...

it can't find the 1.33.1 version of the libboost libraries.

Which amazon website did you download the MP3 Downloader from?

When I last looked, the version 1.0.3 (for OS 11.0) from the US site at amazon.com uses boost-1.33.1 libraries (used for OS 10.3) - they must have just repackaged the 10.3 version for 11.0. Whereas the first and current UK version 1.0.4 at amazon.co.uk (for OS 11.0) uses boost-1.34.1 libraries as in the howto. The introduction of the howto clearly targets amazon.co.uk, but maybe it's not enough?

[al-harding]

Thanks for this it worked first time.

As an ongoing newbie since 8.1 I have tried updating individual apps from time to time but always get warned off by yast saying its going to uninstall lots of stuff because I'm changing dependency versions. I think I can see in your work-around a way to overcome this, do you think this approach should work for anything?

thanks again, alan

[consused]

al-harding

Alan, well done and many thanks for your positive review.

do you think this approach should work for anything?

Never say forever or "for anything". I cannot claim credit for the approach. My Howto is a rework of the one in the openSUSE Wiki that targets Amazon's US website but needs some updating to work properly even for the US version (+ testing by a US user).

However, the underlying approach (it's not new) of using the already present usr/local directories to avoid conflicts with distro-managed stuff, does provide for safer experimentation. It's a somewhat tedious process especially for applications with more complex dependencies, more rpm's to manually unpack, and more libraries to copy.

Apart from discovering additional dependencies, obtaining the correct versions, learning what the powerful rpm2cpio and cpio commands can achieve, other problem areas were: preserving links when copying libraries, and sorting out file permissions.

This approach doesn't always meet with success. Users of other distros have had similar version problems installing Amazon's downloader. I tried it on three debian-based distros (unlike here, all 64bit). One worked, but two failed with a program error in the Downloader, presumably due to different implementations of debian.

Hope that helps, but proceed with caution...

[malcolmlewis]

Originally Posted by consused

al-harding

Alan, well done and many thanks for your positive review.

> do you think this approach should work for anything?

Never say forever or "for anything". I cannot claim credit for the
approach. My Howto is a rework of the one in the openSUSE Wiki that
targets Amazon's US website but needs some updating to work properly
even for the US version (+ testing by a US user).

However, the underlying approach (it's not new) of using the already
present usr/local directories to avoid conflicts with distro-managed
stuff, does provide for safer experimentation. It's a somewhat tedious
process especially for applications with more complex dependencies, more
rpm's to manually unpack, and more libraries to copy.

Apart from discovering additional dependencies, obtaining the correct
versions, learning what the powerful rpm2cpio and cpio commands can
achieve, other problem areas were: preserving links when copying
libraries, and sorting out file permissions.

This approach doesn't always meet with success. Users of other distros
have had similar version problems installing Amazon's downloader. I
tried it on three debian-based distros (unlike here, all 64bit). One
worked, but two failed with a program error in the Downloader,
presumably due to different implementations of debian.

Hope that helps, but proceed with caution...

Hi
I got bored and wrote a spec file and re packaged it as an rpm.....

What I need to do is script the preparation part to create the tarballs.

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
up 1:22, 1 user, load average: 0.26, 0.16, 0.09
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29

[consused]

Originally Posted by malcolmlewis

Hi
I got bored and wrote a spec file and re packaged it as an rpm.....

What I need to do is script the preparation part to create the tarballs.

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
up 1:22, 1 user, load average: 0.26, 0.16, 0.09
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29

Hi Malcolm
Not having actually built an rpm, as opposed to pulling them apart, I want to be sure I understood your comments. If so I will have learnt something new.

Assuming you kept the usr/local destination directories, did you re-package the unpacked amazonmp3 binary and its dependencies (boost and libicu libraries) together in a single rpm, to install them in their new destinations? Presumably as input to that process you need to tarball each of the three unpacked directory trees.

Have I understood that correctly?

[malcolmlewis]

Originally Posted by consused

malcolmlewis;1947081 Wrote:
> Hi
> I got bored and wrote a spec file and re packaged it as an rpm.....
>
> What I need to do is script the preparation part to create the
> tarballs.
>
> --
> Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
> openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
> up 1:22, 1 user, load average: 0.26, 0.16, 0.09
> GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29
Hi Malcolm
Not having actually built an rpm, as opposed to pulling them apart, I
want to be sure I understood your comments. If so I will have learnt
something new.

Assuming you kept the usr/local destination directories, did you
re-package the unpacked amazonmp3 binary and its dependencies (boost and
libicu libraries) together in a single rpm, to install them in their new
destinations? Presumably as input to that process you need to tarball
each of the three unpacked directory trees.

Have I understood that correctly?

Hi
Correct Here is the spec file;
http://nopaste.com/p/aGIkGshTfb

Note, need to use nodeps option to install, see changelog.

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
up 1:46, 1 user, load average: 0.15, 0.08, 0.10
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29

[consused]

Originally Posted by malcolmlewis

Hi
Correct Here is the spec file;
amazonmp3.spec - nopaste.com (beta)

Note, need to use nodeps option to install, see changelog.

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
up 1:46, 1 user, load average: 0.15, 0.08, 0.10
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29

Thanks for sharing that detail. Initially more work, but a time-saving solution if you need to reinstall, or install on multiple systems, and a useful template for taking the same approach for other unsupported applications.

I intended to have a go at packaging sometime and now I have a case study to play with. There is help in the wiki to get building on one's local system, and assistance in the OBS.

Which of those have you used? Which one would you recommend for a beginner to start with?

[malcolmlewis]

Originally Posted by consused

malcolmlewis;1947189 Wrote:
> Hi
> Correct Here is the spec file;
> 'amazonmp3.spec - nopaste.com
> (beta)' (http://nopaste.com/p/aGIkGshTfb)
>
> Note, need to use nodeps option to install, see changelog.
>
Thanks for sharing that detail. Initially more work, but a time-saving
solution if you need to reinstall, or install on multiple systems, and a
useful template for taking the same approach for other unsupported
applications.

I intended to have a go at packaging sometime and now I have a case
study to play with. There is help in the wiki to get building on one's
local system, and assistance in the OBS.

Which of those have you used? Which one would you recommend for a
beginner to start with?

Hi
I would use the build service first, it gives you an idea on how things
work, then look at a vmware machine for an obs setup. If you also
download some src rpms and have a look at those as well

--
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-9-default
up 4:14, 1 user, load average: 0.11, 0.23, 0.39
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 180.29