slackware 13.37 machines
• helium: Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz, 2GB ram, kernel 2.6.37.6-smp
• lithium: Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz, 2GB ram, kernel 2.6.37.6-smp

First, some obligatory disambiguation. The "client" machine is the one where a compile is originated - it has the sources, build script (if any), & pretty much the full D series set of packages. The "server" machine(s) are simply along for the ride - no sources, no build script, & only a specific subset of D series packages are required.

On the client machine: binutils, ccache, distcc, gcc, gcc-g++, & pretty much everything else you'd expect from the D series.

On the server machine(s): binutils, distcc, gcc, & gcc-g++. That's it.

If you haven't done so already, I'd suggest you read distcc security design right about now. Since my setup is deployed on a trusted lan, I've opted for simplicity: tcp transport, no distcc user, no use of lzo, etc.

Keeping that thought firmly in mind, here's my setup.

Simplicity has its place. This is one of them.

Depending on your distribution, distcc may not be listed in /etc/services on your machines. No worries, simply invoke your favourite editor & add the following lines:

    distcc          3632/tcp   #distributed C/C++ compiler system
    distcc          3632/udp   #distributed C/C++ compiler system

Next up, running the server. Since we live in a wonderful world of choices, you get your pick of running distccd as a standalone daemon or via inetd.

For standalone usage, here's a sample rc.distccd. You'll likely want to edit the "--allow" & "--listen" lines to suit your setup.

If you prefer inetd, add something like this to /etc/inetd.conf.

    distcc          stream  tcp     nowait  nobody  /usr/sbin/tcpd
        /usr/bin/distccd --inetd --log-file=/var/log/distccd

Lastly, /var/log/distccd

    touch /var/log/distccd
    chown nobody:nogroup /var/log/distccd

Starting with version 2.0, distcc now supports masquerade mode which is described quite nicely in the distcc manpage.

For the client machine, I did the following:

    mkdir -p /usr/lib/distcc/bin/
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/c++
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/cc
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/g++
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/g++-gcc-4.5.2
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/gcc
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/gcc-4.5.2
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/i486-slackware-linux-c++
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/i486-slackware-linux-g++
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/i486-slackware-linux-gcc
    ln -s ../../../bin/distcc /usr/lib/distcc/bin/i486-slackware-linux-gcc-4.5.2

Conveniently, ccache also supports masquerade mode which is briefly described in the ccache manpage.

For the client machine, I did the following:

    mkdir -p /usr/lib/ccache/bin/
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/c++
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/cc
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/g++
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/g++-gcc-4.5.2
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/gcc
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/gcc-4.5.2
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/i486-slackware-linux-c++
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/i486-slackware-linux-g++
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/i486-slackware-linux-gcc
    ln -s ../../../bin/ccache /usr/lib/ccache/bin/i486-slackware-linux-gcc-4.5.2

You'll likely want to set limits on the cache at some point, so read up on the -F (maxfiles) & -M (maxsize) options.

Depending on what I'm building &/or the mood I'm in, I'll source one of the following scripts:

• c+ (enable ccache)
• c- (disable ccache)
• d+ (enable distcc)
• d- (disable distcc)
• dc+ (enable distcc & ccache)
• dc- (disable distcc & ccache)

Assuming, for example, you keep these files in ~/.distcc/ (that's where I keep mine.. easy to find) & you want to enable both distcc & ccache, just issue:

    . ~/.distcc/dc+

Those of you actually paying attention will notice the use of "$MAKEJOBS" rather than "$MAKEFLAGS" in d+ & dc+. This is quite deliberate. I found through trial & error (& error & error) that some projects toss errors if all of

    ./configure ; make ; make install

    ./configure ; make $MAKEJOBS ; make install