i think it happens to all versions that recognizes the optimizations option. At least I confirmed python version 3.4.6, 3.5.3, 3.6.1, when `--enable-optimizations` is appended, `zlib` cannot be imported, `No module named zlib`. I'm working on Ubuntu 14.04 by the way. I don't know if it's system specific.

--enable-optimizations does not exist in Python 3.4.x so any failures there must be due to something else.  Are there any build errors?  Can you show exactly where the message comes from?

There's no build errors. The compiling and installing process is error-free. Take 3.5.3 as example, it's all good until you enter 3.5.3 python shell and type `import zlib`, it gives `No module name zlib`. I solved by make a `libz.so` link in my `/lib` dir to the `libz.so.1` file in my `/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu` dir according to a thread in Ubuntu forum. It may be system specific, I don't know yet.

Can you please attach config.log file? And maybe also redirect the output of "make" into a log file and then attach this log file as well? Example: make 2>&1 >make.log.

This is the config.log.

This is make.log.

Strange, I don't see any obvious error related to the C "z" lib or to the Python "zlib" module.

Example on my system:

haypo@selma$ python3
Python 3.5.2 (default, Sep 14 2016, 11:28:32) 
[GCC 6.2.1 20160901 (Red Hat 6.2.1-1)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import zlib
>>> zlib
<module 'zlib' from '/usr/lib64/python3.5/lib-dynload/zlib.cpython-35m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'>
>>> 
haypo@selma$ ldd /usr/lib64/python3.5/lib-dynload/zlib.cpython-35m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so
	linux-vdso.so.1 (0x00007fff22f2e000)
	libz.so.1 => /lib64/libz.so.1 (0x00007f88e1fe0000)
	libpython3.5m.so.1.0 => /lib64/libpython3.5m.so.1.0 (0x00007f88e1b13000)
	libpthread.so.0 => /lib64/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007f88e18f5000)
	libc.so.6 => /lib64/libc.so.6 (0x00007f88e152f000)
	libdl.so.2 => /lib64/libdl.so.2 (0x00007f88e132b000)
	libutil.so.1 => /lib64/libutil.so.1 (0x00007f88e1126000)
	libm.so.6 => /lib64/libm.so.6 (0x00007f88e0e1d000)
	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x000055d00b915000)
haypo@selma$ ldd /usr/lib64/python3.5/lib-dynload/zlib.cpython-35m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so^C
haypo@selma$ ls -l /lib64/libz.so.1
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 13  5 févr.  2016 /lib64/libz.so.1 -> libz.so.1.2.8

Can you check if you have a "zlib.(...).so" file in /usr/lib64/python3.5/lib-dynload/? (ajust to the right directory)

See also the issue #29641 "make install failure when using ./configure --enable-optimizations".