RPM Package Manager

RPM Package Manager (originally Red Hat Package Manager, abbreviated RPM) is a package management system.

Usage

Example

rpm -qa |grep glibc  # returns 'glibc-version', if installed
rpm -q --whatprovides /lib/libc.so.6  # returns 'glibc-version'
rpm -q --whatrequires python # returns the following
  lib64xml2-python-2.6.27-3mdv2007.1
  tkinter-2.5-4mdv2007.1
  python-imaging-1.1.4-11mdv2007.1
  python-numpy-1.0.1-2mdv2007.1
  python-numeric-24.2-4mdv2007.1
  lib64python2.5-devel-2.5-4.1mdv2007.1
  lib64python2.5-devel-2.5-4.1mdv2007.1

RPM file names normally have the following format:

<name>-<version>-<release>.<arch>.rpm

Source code may also be distributed in RPM packages. Such package labels do not have an architecture part and replace it with "src". E.g.:

libgnomeuimm2.0-2.0.0-3.src.rpm

An SRPM is an RPM package with source code. Unlike a tarball (or an RPM), an SRPM package can be automatically compiled and installed, following instructions in the .spec file included in the SRPM.

See also

• urpmi
• yum
• YaST

External links

• Red Hat RPM Guide from the Fedora project.
• Fox, Pennington, Red Hat 2003: Fedora Project Developer's Guide: Chapter 4. Building RPM Packages
• RPM Package Manager homepage
• The story of RPM by Matt Frye in Red Hat Magazine
• RPM Building as a User
• Bailey, Edward C. 2000: Maximum RPM, an outdated but popular rpm reference
• Bailey, Edward C. 2000: Maximum RPM, actualized Maximum RPM edition
• SUSE Package Conventions
• Package File Format - Linux Standards Base
• RPM -- plans, goals, etc. - Fedora announcement about RPM.
• RPM.org's wiki
• wikipedia:RPM Package Manager