# 1. Quick start

In many cases, OpenPMIx can be built and installed by simply indicating the installation directory on the command line:

    $ tar xf pmix-<version>.tar.bz2
    $ cd pmix-<version>
    $ ./configure --prefix=<path> |& tee config.out
    ...lots of output...
    $ make -j 8 |& tee make.out
    ...lots of output...
    $ make install |& tee install.out
    ...lots of output...

Note that there are many, many configuration options to the `./configure` step. Some of them may be needed for your particular environment; see below for descriptions of the options available.

If your installation prefix path is not writable by a regular user, you may need to use `sudo` or `su` to run the `make install` step. For example:

    $ sudo make install |& tee install.out
    [sudo] password for builduser: <enter your password here>
    ...lots of output...

Finally, note that VPATH builds are fully supported. For example:

    $ tar xf pmix-<version>.tar.bz2
    $ cd pmix-<version>
    $ mkdir build
    $ cd build
    $ ../configure --prefix=<path> |& tee config.out
    ...etc.