rpm question...

[Sam Varshavchik]

bruce writes:

> hi
> 
> when i have an rpm, and i do a "rpm -ivh foo.rpm", what file within the rpm
> is run to install/start any scripts?

There are several scripts that are optionally part of an RPM package, and 
get invoked as part of package installation and uninstallation.

These scripts are not actual files that are installed by the rpm.  The 
scripts are part of the package's definition, and are saved in a database 
that's maintained by the rpm command.  The scripts get automatically 
extracted into a temporary file (by the rpm command) and executed when their 
designated conditions are met.  The installation scripts get executed in 
this manner when the package gets installed;  the uninstallation scripts get 
processed when the package gets uninstalled.  Other optional scripts may get 
defined by the package, and get executed in response to installation or 
uninstallation of other packages.

>                                       also, are the required files within the
> rpm itself, so that i could take an rpm, expand it, make changes to the
> files/structure, and rebuild the rpm?

All the required files, scripts, and metadata for a package are contained 
within the rpm, but that's not how you go about screwing around.

This is done by going back to the original source rpm file (.src.rpm), which 
contains all the source code and instructions that get used to build the 
binary rpm files, as well as the instructions and scripts for building them, 
and the associated install/uninstall scripts (if any).  You extract the 
original source rpm, make the necessary changes to its components, and 
rebuild the whole thing.  You get a set of new RPMs, and a new source rpm 
package as the end result.

Before rebuilding you should bump the release number of the package, so that 
your modifications can be applied as an upgrade.

The instructions for building the source into binary packages come from a 
file in the source rpm called the 'spec' file, which is an art in of itself. 
Don't expect instant gratification.  Prepare to invest a significant time in 
learning how the 'spec' file works, and how to build rpm packages.  The rpm 
'spec' file syntax is not exactly poetry, and is what you might expect to 
get after almost a decade's worth of accumulated hacks piling up on top of 
each other.


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