Item2527: troubles getting ModPerlEngineContrib running from debian repository

I tryed to install mod_perl from the debian repository. The module installs fine. Following the install instructions (run configure, setting up the new apache config with the apache config generator) leads apache to not startup again. The error message in the apache error.log:

Content-type: text/plain

Perl error when reading LocalSite.cfg: 
Please inform the site admin.
 at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Configure/Load.pm line 56
   Foswiki::Configure::Load::readConfig() called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki.pm line 269
   Foswiki::BEGIN() called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   eval {...} called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   require Foswiki.pm called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm line 74
   Foswiki::Engine::Apache::BEGIN() called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   eval {...} called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   require Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm called at /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl line 41
   main::BEGIN() called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   eval {...} called at LocalSite.cfg line 498
   require /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl called at (eval 2) line 1
   eval 'require qCompilation failed in require at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm line 74.
 at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm line 74
   Foswiki::Engine::Apache::BEGIN() called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki.pm line 74
   eval {...} called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki.pm line 74
   require Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm called at /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl line 41
   main::BEGIN() called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki.pm line 74
   eval {...} called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki.pm line 74
   require /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl called at (eval 2) line 1
   eval 'require qCompilation failed in require at /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl line 41.
 at /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl line 41
   main::BEGIN() called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm line 41
   eval {...} called at /var/lib/foswiki/lib/Foswiki/Engine/Apache.pm line 41
   require /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl called at (eval 2) line 1
   eval 'require qCompilation failed in require at (eval 2) line 1.
 at (eval 2) line 1
   eval 'require q

With the help of PaulHarvey in the #foswiki irc channel we found out that /etc/foswiki/ was not in the path for /var/lib/foswiki/tools/mod_perl_startup.pl an therefore LocalSite.cfg could not be loaded. So I made a fix in mod_perl_startup.pl:

  use lib qw# /etc/foswiki #;

After this fix, Apache starts up and the mod_perl installation is working.