Missing linux/types.h failing to install gem - header

Question

I'm getting an error trying to install eventmachine on my ubuntu 12.04 server. Any ideas?
bundle exec gem install eventmachine
Building native extensions. This could take a while...
ERROR: Error installing eventmachine:
ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.
/opt/ruby-enterprise-1.8.7-2012.02/bin/ruby extconf.rb
checking for rb_trap_immediate in ruby.h,rubysig.h... no
checking for rb_thread_blocking_region()... no
checking for inotify_init() in sys/inotify.h... yes
checking for writev() in sys/uio.h... yes
checking for rb_thread_check_ints()... no
checking for rb_time_new()... yes
checking for sys/event.h... no
checking for epoll_create() in sys/epoll.h... yes
creating Makefile
make
g++ -I. -I/opt/local/include -I. -I/opt/ruby-enterprise-1.8.7-2012.02/lib/ruby/1.8/i686-linux -I. -DWITH_SSL -DBUILD_FOR_RUBY -DHAVE_INOTIFY_INIT -DHAVE_INOTIFY -DHAVE_WRITEV -DHAVE_WRITEV -DHAVE_RB_TIME_NEW -DOS_UNIX -DHAVE_EPOLL_CREATE -DHAVE_EPOLL -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -fPIC -g -O2 -c binder.cpp
In file included from /usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/bits/sigcontext.h:28:0,
from /usr/include/signal.h:339,
from project.h:40,
from binder.cpp:20:
/usr/include/i386-linux-gnu/asm/sigcontext.h:5:25: fatal error: linux/types.h: No such file or directory
compilation terminated.
make: *** [binder.o] Error 1

Answer 1

I've just run into the same problem. Either the path for types.h is different on your distribution, or it does not exist at all. Try to manually include it.
http://linux.die.net/include/sys/types.h
Your program is going to give you a file, and line number error where it is trying to "include" types.h. What I did to solve the problem, was add types.h into the same folder as the file requesting it. Then you go into the file, on the line that the include error is, and replace the path of (for example) "/linux/types.h", with "types.h" since you have it in the same directory. Now, make, make install. If you receive another include issue, you might want to consider either changing flavors, or if you feel up to it, keep adding includes. Welcome to the wonderful world of hacking. :)