Re: Bootstrapping an RPM area.

[Jeff Johnson <n3npq jbj gmail com>]

On May 24, 2006, at 10:46 AM, Steve Juranich wrote:

> Tim Mooney wrote:
>
> > > To finalize the bootstrap, I'd need to create some virtual package
> > > defining what the system provides (things like /bin/sh, libc,  
> > > libstdc++,
> > > and the like).
> >
> > Yes, or use the "sysinfo" file (probably /etc/rpm/sysinfo though  
> > you can
> > I think change that by modifying a macro in one of the macros  
> > files that
> > RPM will search).  I'm a fan of virtual packages, though they seem  
> > to be
> > falling out of vogue.  ;-)
> >
> > Note that RPM 4.4.6 also requires that you have something (either  
> > virtual
> > packages or /etc/rpm/sysinfo) provide directories too, so you'll  
> > to keep
> > all of those in mind as well.
>
> Is this /etc/rpm/sysinfo documented anywhere?  I can't find it in  
> the latest
> version of the RPM guide, and it doesn't exist on this SuSE box I'm on
> right now (SuSE 9.3).

Nope no documentation and no vendor that I'm aware of has chosen to  
pick up the sysinfo functionality,
mainly because on a system that is entirely managed by rpm there is  
no need to add additional provides
from system configuration.

On Solaris and other non-linux systems, or any system with other  
means than rpm to install software,
additional provides can be specified in the file /etc/rp[m/sysinfo,  
one per line, same format as rpm -q --provides.

The alternative means to supply dependencies, using a virtual  
package, turns out to be too stiff for most users afaict.
So adding provides through /etc/rpm/sysinfo has been rescusitated  
(rpm-2.x used to have this functionality)\ instead.

73 de Jeff