There are a number of resources available to help you with RPM, over and above the RPM man page, and this book. Here are some pointers to them.
Perhaps before asking, Where can I get RPM? it might be better to see if RPM is already installed on your system. If you have Red Hat Linux on your system, it's there already. But be sure to check on other systems - people are porting RPM to different systems every day, and it just might be there waiting for you.
Here's a quick way to see if RPM is installed on your system:
% rpm - -version
RPM version 2.3
%
If this command doesn't work, it might be that your path doesn't include the directory where RPM resides. Check the usual ``binary'' directories before declaring RPM a no-show!
If you can't find RPM on your system, you'll have to grab a copy by FTP. RPM can be found practically anywhere Red Hat Linux is available. While the most obvious site, ftp.redhat.com, is certainly an option, it might not be your best choice. For one, it can be very busy. For another, unless your link to the Internet is near Red Hat's sprawling development campus in Durham, North Carolina, there's probably an FTP site that is closer to you.
Here is a list of sites that mirror Red Hat Software's main FTP site. Be aware that this list changes frequently, so don't be surprised if a particular site no longer mirrors Red Hat, or has moved it from the paths listed below:1
FTP Site Directory ======== ========= sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk /packages/linux/redhat ftp.mpi-sb.mpg.de /pub/linux/mirror/ftp.redhat.com ftp.jate.u-szeged.hu /pub/linux/redhat ftp.ibp.fr /pub/linux/distributions/redhat ftp.gwdg.de /pub/linux/install/redhat ftp.msu.ru /pub/Linux/RedHat ftp.sgg.ru /mirror/redhat sunsite.mff.cuni.cz /OS/Linux/Distributions/Redhat ftp.ton.tut.fi /pub/Linux/RedHat ftp.funet.fi /pub/Linux/images/RedHat sunsite.icm.edu.pl /pub/Linux/redhat ftp.arch.pwr.proc.pl /mirror/linux/redhat ftp.rhi.hi.is /pub/linux/RedHat ftp.nvg.unit.no /pub/linux/redhat ftp.pk.edu.pl /pub/linux/redhat ftp.nluug.nl /pub/os/Linux/distr/RedHat dutepp0.et.tudelft.nl /pub/Unix/Linux/Distributions/redhat ftp.iol.ie /pub/Unix/Linux/distributions/RedHat sunsite.auc.dk /pub/os/linux/redhat ftp.tku.edu.tw /Unix/Linux/RedHat ftp.cs.us.es /pub/Linux/redhat ftp.is.co.za /linux/distributions/redhat ftp.dstc.edu.au /pub/linux-redhat ftp.lab.kdd.co.jp /OS/Linux/packages/redhat sunsite.ust.hk /pub/Linux/distributions/redhat ftp.sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl /pub/OS/linux/redhat ftp.interpath.net /pub/linux/redhat schlitz.cae.wisc.edu /pub/Linux/RedHat ftp.wownet.net /LINUX/redhat ftp.engr.uark.edu /pub/linux/redhat ftp.infomagic.com /pub/mirrors/linux/RedHat ftp.wgs.com /pub/linux/redhat ftp.drcdrom.com /pub/linux-redhat ftp.hkstar.com /pub/Linux/redhat ftp.pht.com /pub/linux/redhat linux.ucs.indiana.edu /pub/linux/redhat ftp.uoknor.edu /linux/redhat ftp.cc.gatech.edu /pub/linux/distributions/redhat uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu /pub/systems/linux/distributions/redhat ftp.caldera.com /pub/mirrors/redhat ftp.cms.uncwil.edu /linux/redhat ftp.wilmington.net /linux/redhat sunsite.unc.edu /pub/Linux/distributions/redhat gatekeeper.dec.com /pub/linux/redhat ftp.rge.com /pub/systems/linux/redhat linuxwww.db.erau.edu /pub/linux/distrib/redhat ftp.eit.com /pub/mirrors/redhat ftp.real-time.com /pub/redhat
Once you find a nearby site with RPM, and have found the directory where it's kept, you'll notice a variety of files, all starting with ``rpm''. What are they? Which ones do you need? Here's a representative list, along with the ways in which each file would be used:
ftp> ls
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 2689
drwxr-xr-x 6 root 97 2048 Jul 18 10:04 .
drwxr-xr-x 6 root 97 1024 Aug 2 10:09 ..
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 23 Jan 22 1996 RPM-HOWTO.ps ->
../../docs/RPM-HOWTO.ps
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 Jan 22 1996 RPM-HOWTO.txt ->
../../docs/RPM-HOWTO.txt
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 59239 Jan 20 1996 paper.ps.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 365319 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 278620 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.cpio.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 282015 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 279855 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 359354 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.src.rpm
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 356943 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 122157 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 51132 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 54470 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 35504 May 1 04:28 rpmbuild.ps.gz
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
Although the version numbers may change, the types of files kept in this directory will not. The files RPM-HOWTO, paper.ps.gz, and rpmbuild.ps.gz contain a variety of information concerning RPM. As such they are valuable sources of supplemental information. The remaining files contain RPM, packaged for various architectures, and in source form. We'll look at them, grouped according to their contents. Here's the first group of files:
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 365319 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm -rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 282015 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm -rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 279855 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
The files above are the binary package files for RPM version 2.2.2, release 1, on the Digital Alpha, the Intel 386/486/Pentium, and the Sun SPARC. Note that the version number will change in time, but the other parts of the file naming convention won't. As binary package files, they must be installed using RPM. So if you don't have RPM yet, they won't do you much good.2 Let's look at the next file:
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 359354 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.src.rpm
This is the source package file for RPM version 2.2.2, release 1. Like the binary packages, the source package requires RPM to install - therefore, it cannot be used to perform an initial install of RPM. Let's see what else there is here:
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 122157 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm -rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 51132 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm -rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 54470 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
The files above are binary package files that contain the rpm-devel subpackage. The rpm-devel package contains header files and the RPM library, and is used for developing programs that can perform RPM-related functions. These files cannot be used to get RPM running. That leaves two files left:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 278620 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.cpio.gz -rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 356943 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz
The first file is a gzipped cpio archive of the files comprising RPM. After uncompressing the file, cpio can be used to extract the files and place them on your system. Note, however, that there is a cpio archive for the i386 architecture only. To extract the files, issue the following command:
# zcat file.cpio.gz | (cd / ; cpio -extract)
(When actually issuing the command, file.cpio.gz should be replaced with the actual name of the cpio archive.)
Note that the archive should be extracted using GNU cpio version 2.4.1 or greater. It may also be necessary to issue the following command prior to using RPM:
# mkdir /var/lib/rpm
The last file, rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz, contains the sources for RPM. Using it, you can build RPM from scratch. This is the most involved option, but it is the only choice for people interested in porting RPM to a new architecture. See chapter [*] on page [*] for an example of RPM being built from the sources.
As much as we've tried to make this book a comprehensive reference for RPM, there are going to be times when you'll need additional help. The best way to connect with other that use RPM is to try one of the following mailing lists.
Red Hat Software, Inc. maintains a mailing list specifically for RPM. In order to subscribe to the list, it's necessary to send a mail message to:
rpm-list-request@@redhat.com
On the message's subject line, place the word subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list.
To send messages to the list, address them to:
rpm-list@@redhat.com
As with other on-line forums, it's advisable to ``lurk'' for a while before sending anything to the list. That way, you'll be able to see what types of questions are acceptable for the list. Let the list's name be your guide; if the message you want to send doesn't have anything to do with RPM, you shouldn't send it to rpm-list!
In general, the flavor of rpm-list is a bit biased towards RPM's development, building packages, and issues surrounding the porting of RPM to other systems. If your question is more along the lines of, How do I use RPM to install new software? consider reviewing the first half of this book and lurking on rpm-list a while first.
The redhat-list mailing list is meant to serve as a forum for users of Red Hat Software's Linux operating system. If your questions concerns the use of RPM on Red Hat Linux, then the redhat-list is a good place to start. To subscribe, send a message to:
redhat-list-request@@redhat.com
On the message's subject line, place the word subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list. As with rpm-list, it's best to lurk for a while before posting to the list
To send messages to the list, address them to:
redhat-list@@redhat.com
Some people might find the number of messages on redhat-list more than they can handle. However, there is a digest version of the list available. Each digest consists of one or more messages sent to redhat-list. The digest is sent out when the collected messages reach a certain size. Therefore, a digest might have one very long message, or twenty smaller ones. In either case, you'll have the collected knowledge of the Red Hat Software development team and their many customers delivered in one message.
To subscribe to redhat-digest, send a message to:
redhat-digest-request@@redhat.com
On the message's subject line, place the word subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list.
To send messages to the list, address them to:
redhat-list@@redhat.com
As always, observe proper ``netiquette'' - lurk before you leap!
Up-to-date information on RPM can always be found at Red Hat Software's web site:
http://www.redhat.com/
The site's content changes frequently, so it's impossible to specify an exact URL for RPM information. However, the site is very well run, and always has a comprehensive table of contents as well as a search engine. Either should make finding information on RPM easy.
RPM is licensed under the GNU General Public License, or as it's more commonly called, the GPL. If you're not familiar with the GPL, it would be worthwhile to spend a few minutes looking it over. The purpose behind the GPL is to ensure that GPL'ed software remains freely available.
``Freely available'' doesn't necessarily mean ``at no cost,'' although GPL'ed software is often available by anonymous FTP. The idea behind the GPL is to make it impossible for anyone to take GPL'ed code, and make it proprietary. But enough preliminaries! The best way to understand the GPL is to read it:
Copyright © 1989, 1991
Free Software Foundation, Inc.
675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software - to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with two steps:
Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors' reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the Program.
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License.
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable.
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place counts as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along with the object code.
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other circumstances.
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the integrity of the free software distribution system, which is implemented by public license practices. Many people have made generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed through that system in reliance on consistent application of that system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot impose that choice.
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the rest of this License.
Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and ``any later version'', you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. If the Program does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published by the Free Software Foundation.
If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
[IMAGE png]one line to give the program name and a brief idea of what it does.[IMAGE png]
Copyright © 19yy [IMAGE png]name of author[IMAGE png]
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it starts in an interactive mode:
Gnomovision version 69, Copyright © 19yy name of author
Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type
"show w". This is free software, and you are welcome to
redistribute it under certain conditions; type "show c" for
details.
The hypothetical commands ``show w'' and ``show c'' should show the appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the commands you use may be called something other than ``show w'' and ``show c''; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items - whatever suits your program.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the program, if necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program `Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
[IMAGE png]signature of Ty Coon[IMAGE png], 1 April 1989
Ty Coon, President of Vice
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General Public License instead of this License.
![[IMAGE png]](img11.png){kind=link}
![[IMAGE png]](img12.png){kind=link}