Coding⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: How can I fix this configure error?

Troubleshooting protobuf configuration error on SUSE10 machine.

Quick Answer: Try setting the environment variables protobuf_CFLAGS and protobuf_LIBS to match the custom installation path.

The error 'Package requirements (protobuf) were not met' occurs when the configure script is unable to find the protobuf package, which is required for building mosh from source on a SUSE 10 machine. This issue affects users who have downloaded the source code and are attempting to build mosh without using a package manager.

This error can be frustrating as it prevents the user from proceeding with the build process. However, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you should be able to resolve the issue and successfully build mosh.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the protobuf package was not installed or configured correctly on the system. This can happen when installing software in a non-standard prefix or when using a custom path for the protobuf installation.
  • Another possible cause is that the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable is not set correctly, which prevents the configure script from finding the protobuf package.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Configuring PKG_CONFIG_PATH and adding protobuf to PATH

  1. Step 1: Add the custom path where protobuf was installed to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable. This can be done by running the command `export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$PKG_CONFIG_PATH:/path/to/protobuf/installation`.
  2. Step 2: Restart the terminal or rehash your shell configuration to apply the changes. You can do this by running the command `source ~/.bashrc` or `source ~/.profile`.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the protobuf package is now found by running the command `pkg-config --version`. If it's not found, try adding the path to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH variable again.

Compiling and installing protobuf manually

  1. Step 1: Download the protobuf source code from a reputable repository (e.g. GitHub) and extract it to a custom installation directory.
  2. Step 2: Navigate to the extracted directory and run the command `./configure --prefix=/path/to/protobuf/installation` to configure the build process.
  3. Step 3: Run the command `make` to compile the protobuf package, followed by `make install` to install it. You may need to use `sudo` depending on your system configuration.

🎯 Final Words

By following one of these methods, you should be able to resolve the 'Package requirements (protobuf) were not met' error and successfully build mosh from source on your SUSE 10 machine.

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