Every once in a while for some reason, CPAN fails to work. I get these insane directory names and the whole install fails. I was installing Crypt::OpenPGP which is written by Ben Trott, the same guy who writes MoveableType (the software used to publish Advisor Bits) and this happened to me.
Hey Ben, that's a lot of prerequisites!
I had to install Digest-MD2 the old way in order to get the OpenPGP to work. It took me long enough to remember that I thought it was worth writing here so I can look it up in the future. (Good use #107 for Advisor Bits!)
Here's the generic instructions for installing Perl mods when CPAN is fussed up, for those of you lucky enough to have always used CPAN:
1) Download the file:
wget ftp://ftp.someserver.com/some/long/path/To/YourModule-1.01.tar.gz
2) unpack the stuff
tar -xvzf YourModule-1.01.tar.gz
3) change into the directory
cd YourModule-1.01/
4) Configure the module for compilation and installation
perl ./Makefile.pl
If you need to install anything first, you will find out now.
5) Make the module and test it before installation
make
make test
6) Install the module if everything worked to this point
make install
7) You're done.