The "Bash Prompt HOWTO" has the following information about sourcing a script:
Bash Prompt HOWTO > Chapter 3. Bash Programming and Shell Scripts > 3.5. Sourcing a File
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prompt-HOWTO/x237.html
"When a file is sourced (by typing either source filename or .
filename at the command line), the lines of code in the file are
executed as if they were printed at the command line."
In the command you put, you have ". ~/.euca/eucarc
". Did you notice the "dot space" at the beginning of the command (before the "tilde")? That "dot space" is the part of the command that is sourcing the "eucarc" script. You could have also typed "source ~/.euca/eucarc
" to achieve the same result.
Like "Ladadadada" has commented above, "Running the env command before and after the command with no output (sourcing eucarc) should show you what it did.".
In case you have typed the "dot source" at the beginning of the command, but are still getting the error you mentioned: I don't work with Eucalyptus, but I have looked at the error message you get when you run "euca-describe-availability-zones verbose" ("Warning: failed to parse error message from AWS: :1:61: syntax error"
). A web search revealed the following message - in a discussion in the openstack team mailing list - written in 27 Jan 2012, by Vishvananda Ishaya, that may help:
openstack team mailing list archive > Re: Devstack: euca-describe-availability-zones Warning: failed to parse error message from AWS: :1:0: syntax error None: None
https://lists.launchpad.net/openstack/msg07083.html
From that message:
" devstack provides a file to source called openrc with all the necessary variables.
You don't need to create your own novarc file, just source openrc instead. "
I hope this helps. :)