LD_LIBRARY_PATH is not the only way libraries are found. The loader considers several other sources to find libraries. Assuming a sane setup, this will be a com

LD_LIBRARY_PATH is not the only way libraries are found. The loader considers several other sources to find libraries. Assuming a sane setup, this will be a combination of ordinary ELF fields in each binary that gets loaded and other paths known to the loader. Relying on LD_LIBRARY_PATH can be very short-sighted on systems with many versions of the same library or multiple libraries with the same name. The loader must search the paths in LD_LIBRARY_PATH for each binary in order, and it will pick the first library that matches (unless you have other higher-priority paths set by other means). That may not be the one you really want. This can lead to unexpected errors at runtime. The better way is to set RPATH for the affected binaries to the location that has the libraries that it requires. It is possible to end up loading multiple versions of the same library as well, if your environment and RPATH settings are not consistent. This tool will help you figure out if you have problems and why.