RPM Package files location

Rajeshwaran · External Since: Jul 10, 2006 Posts: 10

Hi,

I am just a beginner using RPM Packages. I have a very simple doubt
related to that. I am creating a rpm with a few files. Assume that the
%files section is like this:

%files

/opt/abc/file1.txt
/opt/abc/file2.txt
/opt/abc/file3.txt

So the package is created now. When I install the package in another
machine, these files get installed in the same /opt/abc folder. Can I
reconfigure that to get installed in some other folder?

I hope I am clear in expressing my doubts.

Regards,
Rajeshwaran.A

Michal Jaegermann · External Since: Jun 06, 2004 Posts: 62

Rajeshwaran <rajeshwaran.a.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> So the package is created now. When I install the package in another
> machine, these files get installed in the same /opt/abc folder. Can I
> reconfigure that to get installed in some other folder?

See 'man rpm', options '--badreloc', '--prefix' and '--relocate'.
Still in general the answer will be "no; there is a pretty good
chance that you are messing up relationships between different package
files".

Michal

Rajeshwaran · External Since: Jul 10, 2006 Posts: 10

On Feb 23, 2:03 am, Michal Jaegermann <mic....RemoveThis@gortel.phys.ualberta.ca>
wrote:
> Rajeshwaran <rajeshwara....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > So the package is created now. When I install the package in another
> > machine, these files get installed in the same /opt/abc folder. Can I
> > reconfigure that to get installed in some other folder?
>
> See 'man rpm', options '--badreloc', '--prefix' and '--relocate'.
> Still in general the answer will be "no; there is a pretty good
> chance that you are messing up relationships between different package
> files".
>
> Michal

Hi,

Would you suggest that I would better install all the files at the
actual location and copy the files in the %post section to wherever I
want. Would that be acceptable?

Rajeshwaran · External Since: Jul 10, 2006 Posts: 10

On Feb 24, 11:09 am, Michal Jaegermann
<mic... RemoveThis @gortel.phys.ualberta.ca> wrote:
> Rajeshwaran <rajeshwara... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 23, 2:03 am, Michal Jaegermann <mic... RemoveThis @gortel.phys.ualberta.ca>
> > wrote:
> >> Rajeshwaran <rajeshwara... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> > So the package is created now. When I install the package in another
> >> > machine, these files get installed in the same /opt/abc folder. Can I
> >> > reconfigure that to get installed in some other folder?
>
> >> See 'man rpm', options '--badreloc', '--prefix' and '--relocate'.
>
> > Would you suggest that I would better install all the files at the
> > actual location and copy the files in the %post section to wherever I
> > want. Would that be acceptable?
>
> Why would you want to use rpm then? If you do such things in %post
> then
>
> rpm -V my_package
>
> would report all files as missing and
>
> rpm -e my_package
>
> would not uninstall anything (and similar troubles on updates). If you
> want that just use a script to move files where you want to see them.
> No need to wrap that in an rpm package.
>
> It is far from clear what you _really_ want to do (as opposed to how).
> If you really need to make packages installation dependent then
> a quick 'rpmbuild --rebuild ...' with a "smart enough" spec could be
> your answer.
>
> Michal

Thanks a lot. My understanding of RPM is exactly wrong. Could you just
tell me how do we acheive this using the SPEC file itself. My
situation warrants that I cannot give the --relocate option in the rpm
command. Because we have written a wrapper that installs the RPM
Package. So is there any means by which I can achieve this only by
changing the SPEC files.

Please assume that %files section is like this:

%files

/opt/abc/file1.txt
/opt/abc/file2.txt
/opt/abc/file3.txt

The files file1,file2,file3 exists at the above location. When I
install them they get copied into the same folder structure. But I
want them to be installed in /home/asm/file1.txt and so on.

Please help me out with some descriptive solutions. Thanks a lot for
your help.

Michal Jaegermann · External Since: Jun 06, 2004 Posts: 62

Rajeshwaran <rajeshwaran.a.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 23, 2:03 am, Michal Jaegermann <mic....TakeThisOut@gortel.phys.ualberta.ca>
> wrote:
>> Rajeshwaran <rajeshwara....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > So the package is created now. When I install the package in another
>> > machine, these files get installed in the same /opt/abc folder. Can I
>> > reconfigure that to get installed in some other folder?
>>
>> See 'man rpm', options '--badreloc', '--prefix' and '--relocate'.
>
> Would you suggest that I would better install all the files at the
> actual location and copy the files in the %post section to wherever I
> want. Would that be acceptable?

Why would you want to use rpm then? If you do such things in %post
then

rpm -V my_package

would report all files as missing and

rpm -e my_package

would not uninstall anything (and similar troubles on updates). If you
want that just use a script to move files where you want to see them.
No need to wrap that in an rpm package.

It is far from clear what you _really_ want to do (as opposed to how).
If you really need to make packages installation dependent then
a quick 'rpmbuild --rebuild ...' with a "smart enough" spec could be
your answer.

Michal

Michal Jaegermann · External Since: Jun 06, 2004 Posts: 62

Rajeshwaran <rajeshwaran.a.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Could you just
> tell me how do we acheive this using the SPEC file itself.

Very simple. Just define a macro, say 'destdir', and use it.
It is far from clear from your description if a spec file can
figure out a value for 'destdir' by itself, from an environment,
by some shell script or whatever. If not then whomever is
doing a sysetem speficig packages can always be explicit:

rpmbuild --rebuild --define='destdir /whatever/you/want' ...

> My situation warrants that I cannot give the --relocate option in the rpm
> command. Because we have written a wrapper that installs the RPM
> Package.

So how this wrapper gets a final location?

> So is there any means by which I can achieve this only by
> changing the SPEC files.

Basically the same as in your wrapper. Examples abound. Look
how in /usr/lib/rpm/macros macros like %requires_eq() or
%perl_sitearch are defined. Syntax is a bit different than in spec
files but definitions the same. Or, say, from some spec file for gimp
plugins:

%define gimpplugindir %(%gimptool --gimpplugindir)/plug-ins

and tons of others if you only look around a bit. You want a wrapper
then make your wrapper rebuild binary packages before installing.
Checking an available documentation also has its uses.

> Please assume that %files section is like this:
>
> %files
>
>
> /opt/abc/file1.txt
> /opt/abc/file2.txt
> /opt/abc/file3.txt

That is exactly and obviously what is wrong with this. That should be:

%{destdir}/file1.txt
%{destdir}/file2.txt
%{destdir}/file3.txt

> The files file1,file2,file3 exists at the above location. When I
> install them they get copied into the same folder structure. But I
> want them to be installed in /home/asm/file1.txt and so on.

If you know this they why all that stuff above??? Just install
with a destination /home/asm and be done with it.

Michal

Rajeshwaran · External Since: Jul 10, 2006 Posts: 10

On Feb 25, 1:14 am, Michal Jaegermann <mic... RemoveThis @gortel.phys.ualberta.ca>
wrote:
> Rajeshwaran <rajeshwara... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Could you just
> > tell me how do we acheive this using the SPEC file itself.
>
> Very simple. Just define a macro, say 'destdir', and use it.
> It is far from clear from your description if a spec file can
> figure out a value for 'destdir' by itself, from an environment,
> by some shell script or whatever. If not then whomever is
> doing a sysetem speficig packages can always be explicit:
>
> rpmbuild --rebuild --define='destdir /whatever/you/want' ...
>
> > My situation warrants that I cannot give the --relocate option in the rpm
> > command. Because we have written a wrapper that installs the RPM
> > Package.
>
> So how this wrapper gets a final location?
>
> > So is there any means by which I can achieve this only by
> > changing the SPEC files.
>
> Basically the same as in your wrapper. Examples abound. Look
> how in /usr/lib/rpm/macros macros like %requires_eq() or
> %perl_sitearch are defined. Syntax is a bit different than in spec
> files but definitions the same. Or, say, from some spec file for gimp
> plugins:
>
> %define gimpplugindir %(%gimptool --gimpplugindir)/plug-ins
>
> and tons of others if you only look around a bit. You want a wrapper
> then make your wrapper rebuild binary packages before installing.
> Checking an available documentation also has its uses.
>
> > Please assume that %files section is like this:
>
> > %files
>
> > /opt/abc/file1.txt
> > /opt/abc/file2.txt
> > /opt/abc/file3.txt
>
> That is exactly and obviously what is wrong with this. That should be:
>
> %{destdir}/file1.txt
> %{destdir}/file2.txt
> %{destdir}/file3.txt
>
> > The files file1,file2,file3 exists at the above location. When I
> > install them they get copied into the same folder structure. But I
> > want them to be installed in /home/asm/file1.txt and so on.
>
> If you know this they why all that stuff above??? Just install
> with a destination /home/asm and be done with it.
>
> Michal

Hey Michal,

Thanks for your help. I have been reading abt RPM stuff for just a few
days and your suggestions have really helped me.