RPM Package Manager
RPM Package Manager (originally Red Hat Package Manager, abbreviated RPM) is a package management system.
Usage
NOTE: RPM file names normally have the following format:
<name>-<version>-<release>.<arch>.rpm
Examples
- Install/upgrade packages verbosely:
rpm -Uvh package_name(s)
- Install/upgrade packages verbosely ignoring dependencies and/or conflicts. (Note: Only do this if you really know what you are doing; the warnings are there for a reason!)
rpm -Uvh --force package_name(s):
- Return information about a package that is already installed:
rpm -qi package_name
- Return information about a package that is not necessarily installed:
rpm -qpi package_name
- Return the ChangeLog of the installed package:
rpm -q --changelog package_name
- List the absolute paths of all files installed from a given package:
rpm -ql package_name
- Return
glibc-version(if installed):
rpm -qa |grep glibc
- Returns
glibc-version:
rpm -q --whatprovides /lib/libc.so.6
- Example of what packages Python requires:
rpm -q --whatrequires python 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
- Get a list of all packages currently installed:
rpm -qa --queryformat='%{NAME} %{ARCH}\n' | sort | uniq > pkgs.txt
You can alter the output from a query using "querytags". To find out which querytags are available, execute the following command:
rpm --querytags
You can then display selected information on that package(s) in question. For an example, if you only wish to display the names of all packages having "auto" in them (i.e., not version, release, arch, etc.), execute the following command
rpm -qa --qf '%{NAME}\n'|grep auto
This is useful if you want to compare installed packages on two machines with different versions (and/or architectures).
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.
Recompile with -fPIC
see: HOWTO fix -fPIC errors for some background.
Some 64-bit packages require the source to be compiled with the -fPIC option. For this example, I will be using LAPACK (64-bit version).
- Step #1: Download the source rpm (e.g.,
lapack.src.rpm) - Step #2: Install/unpack the package
rpm -i lapack.src.rpm
- Step #3: Add the
-fPICflag to the .SPEC file
vi /usr/src/rpm/SPECS/lapack.spec %define optflags ... -fPIC -DPIC ...
- Step #4: Check that the option was compiled into the libary:
nm /usr/lib64/liblapack.a|more
That should take care of errors that look something like this:
/usr/lib64/liblapack.a: relocation R_X86_64_32 against `a local symbol' can not be used when making a shared object; recompile with -fPIC
RPM vs. APT
Show the equivalent commands in RedHat-based vs. Debian-based distros.
Feature rpm deb
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View all installed packages rpm -qa dpkg -l, dpkg-query -Wf '${Package}\n'
dpkg --get-selections
View files in an installed package rpm -ql ${PKG} dpkg -L ${PKG}
View files in a package file rpm -qlp ./${PKG}.rpm dpkg -c ./${PKG}.deb
View package info, installed package rpm -qi ${PKG} (1) apt-cache show ${PKG}
dpkg -s ${PKG}
View package info, package file rpm -qip ./${PKG}.rpm (1) dpkg -I ./${PKG}.deb
View pre/post install shell scripts rpm -q --scripts ${PKG} cat /var/lib/dpkg/info/${PKG}.{pre,post}{inst,rm}
View changelog for a package file rpm -qp --changelog ./${PKG}.rpm dpkg-deb --fsys-tarfile ${PKG}.deb |\
tar -O -xvf - ./usr/share/doc/${PKG}/changelog.gz | gunzip
Install a package file rpm -ivh ./${PKG}.rpm dpkg -i
Uninstall a package rpm -e ${PKG} apt-get remove/purge ${PKG}
dpkg -r/dpkg -P
Upgrade a package from a file rpm -Uvh ./${PKG}.rpm dpkg -i ${PKG}.deb
Find which package owns a file rpm -qif /path/to/file dpkg -S /path/to/file
Find which package provides a file rpm -q --whatprovides /path/to/file dpkg-query -S /path/to/file
List dependencies of a package rpm -q --requires ${PKG} apt-cache depends package
List dependencies of a package file rpm -qp --requires ./${PKG}.rpm (shown in package's info)
List reverse dependencies of package apt-cache rdepends ${PKG}
Verify installed package files rpm -qV debsums
against MD5 checksums
Query database for data rpm --queryformat dpkg-query -s ${PKG}
List files in package dpkg-query -L ${PKG}
Find which package provides a rpm provides htpasswd
command
- Find what package a file belongs to in Debian/Ubuntu
$ apt-file search filename #~OR~ $ apt-file search /path/to/file
- Install and update
apt-file:
$ sudo apt install -y apt-file $ sudo apt-file update
- Prevent package(s) from being upgraded:
$ sudo apt-mark docker-ce docker-ce-cli $ sudo apt-mark showhold docker-ce docker-ce-cli
- Reconfigure your current shell:
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
- Get current OS architecture:
$ dpkg --print-architecture amd64
See also:
See also
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
