Recently Emacs' configure script has been changed to check for the
presence of linux `exec shield' functionality, by looking for the file
/proc/sys/kernel/exec-shield, and seeing if it as a non-zero value. If
it is present and enabled, and there's no `setarch' program available,
configure will give an error message and abort. The reason for this,
as
I understand it, is that emacs cannot dump on such a system unless it
can use the `setarch' program.
However this test seems too strict: On fencepost.gnu.org, exec-shield
is enabled:
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/exec-shield
1
and there is no setarch program:
$ type setarch
bash: type: setarch: not found
and so emacs refuses to configure -- but if disable this test by doing:
$ make ac_cv_file__proc_sys_kernel_exec_shield=no
Then Emacs configures and dumps just fine, despite not using `setarch'.