Frequently asked Questions about RPM

What does RPM stand for?

The Red Hat Package Manager

What are the differences between installing an already-compiled binary RPM (.rpm) file as opposed to a source RPM file (.src.rpm) and compiling it yourself using rpmbuild?

Alowishus says: ''(Note that with src.rpm's, you don't have to install and then build, you can just do rpmbuild --rebuild blah.src.rpm. Saves a step and you don't get the mess in /usr/src).''

Assuming you do nothing more than build that .src.rpm on the same sort of system the author of the binary RPM built it, there is no difference. You doing the rpmbuild step is the same thing the author did before putting the resulting file up for download.

When, if any, situations would compiling from a .src.rpm be better than installing from a binary?

Alowishus says: ''It's better, and sometimes necessary, when critical library versions on your machine differ from the ones on the machine where the binary RPM was built. Occasionally I'll come across a binary RPM built with an older or newer glibc. Trying to install it will make it complain about requiring a different version. At that point, you could solve the problem by grabbing the .src.rpm and rebuilding it against your system.''

''The other time I've found .src.rpms to be useful is when I need the program compiled with different options than the default. It's easy to install the .src.rpm file, go to /usr/src//SPECS and edit the package.spec file to change the ./configure options. Once your spec is changed, rpmbuild -bb package.spec and voila! New package with my options.''

How do I install a package with RPM?

Simplest is "rpm -i package-name.rpm", but I prefer "rpm -Uvh package-name.rpm"

How can I find out what is contained in an rpm package?

Use the query format "rpm -qpl package-name.rpm" to get a listing of files that the rpm will install

Use the query format "rpm -qi package-name.rpm" to get information on the package, including __Install date, Build Date, Source RPM, package Group, Size, and a Description__

How can I discover what packages are installed on my system?

Use the query "rpm -qa". You may want to pipe this to less or more to simplify viewing this list, like this "rpm -qa | less"

Where can I get more information on RPM on-line?

At the RPM website

"The RPM Package Manager (RPM) is a powerful command line driven package management system capable of installing, uninstalling, verifying, querying, and updating computer software packages. Each software package consists of an archive of files along with information about the package like its version, a description, and the like. There is also a related API ("Application Program Interface"), permitting advanced developers to bypass shelling out to a command line, and to manage such transactions from within a native coding language."

Is there a good book on RPM?

Yes, Maximum RPM is available in dead trees version at your local bookstore or on-line bookseller. It is available on-line in html or you can download it in postscript] or LaTeX . A copy is PDF form is also included on the Documents CD with complete Red Hat boxed sets of its Linux distribution.