appendix-f.html

linux-unix130.linux.and.unix.ebooks130 linux and unix ebookslinuxLearning Linux - Collection of 12 E

-rw-r--r--  1 root  97  279855 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
-rw-r--r--  1 root  97  359354 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.src.rpm
-rw-rw-r--   1 root  97  356943 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz
-rw-r--r--  1 root  97  122157 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm
-rw-r--r--  1 root  97   51132 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
-rw-r--r--  1 root  97   54470 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root  97   35504 May  1 04:28 rpmbuild.ps.gz
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
</PRE>
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<P>Although the version numbers may change, the types of files kept in this directory will
not. The files RPM-HOWTO, paper.ps.gz, and
rpmbuild.ps.gz contain a variety of information
concerning RPM. As such, they are valuable sources of supplemental information. The
remaining files contain RPM, packaged for various architectures and in source form. We'll look at
them, grouped according to their contents. Here's the first group of files:
</P>

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<PRE>
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 365319 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 282015 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 279855 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
</PRE>
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<P>These files are the binary package files for RPM version 2.2.2, release 1, on the Digital
Alpha, the Intel 386/486/Pentium, and the Sun SPARC. Note that the version number will
change in time, but the other parts of the file-naming convention won't.
As binary package files, they must be installed using RPM. So if you don't have RPM yet, they won't do you much good.
</P>

<P>If your goal is to install RPM on one of these systems, it might be a good idea to copy
the appropriate binary package. That way, once you have RPM running, you can reinstall it
with the --force option to ensure that RPM is properly installed and configured.
</P>

<A NAME="PAGENUM-407"><P>Page 407</P></A>



<P>Let's look at the next file:
</P>
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<PRE>
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 359354 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.src.rpm
</PRE>
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<P>This is the source package file for RPM version 2.2.2, release 1. Like the binary packages,
the source package requires RPM to install; therefore, it cannot be used to perform an initial
install of RPM. Let's see what else is here:
</P>

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<PRE>
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 122157 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.axp.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 51132 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.i386.rpm
-rw-r--r-- 1 root 97 54470 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-devel-2.2.2-1.sparc.rpm
</PRE>
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<P>These files are binary package files that contain the
rpm-devel subpackage. The rpm-devel package contains header files and the RPM library and is used for developing programs that can <BR>
perform RPM-related functions. These files cannot be used to get RPM running. That
leaves two files:
</P>
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<PRE>
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 278620 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2-1.i386.cpio.gz
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root 97 356943 Jul 18 06:05 rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz
</PRE>
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<P>The first file is a gzipped cpio archive of the files comprising RPM. After you uncompress
the file, cpio can be used to extract the files and place them on your system. Note, however,
that there is a cpio archive for the i386 architecture only. To extract the files, issue the
following command:
</P>
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<PRE>
# zcat file.cpio.gz | (cd / ; cpio --extract)
</PRE>
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<P>When you're actually issuing the command,
file.cpio.gz should be replaced with the actual name of the
cpio archive.
</P>

<P>Note that the archive should be extracted using GNU
cpio version 2.4.1 or greater. It may also be necessary to issue the following command prior to using RPM:
</P>
<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
# mkdir /var/lib/rpm
</PRE>
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<P>The last file, rpm-2.2.2.tar.gz, contains the sources for RPM. Using it, you can build
RPM from scratch. This is the most involved option, but it is the only choice for people interested
in porting RPM to a new architecture.
</P>

<H3>
F.2. Where to Talk About RPM
</H3>

<P>As much as we've tried to make this book a comprehensive reference for RPM, there are
going to be times when you'll need additional help. The best way to connect with others who
use RPM is to try one of the mailing lists listed in the following sections.
</P>

<A NAME="PAGENUM-408"><P>Page 408</P></A>



<H4>
F.2.1. The rpm-list Mailing List
</H4>

<P>Red Hat Software, Inc., maintains a mailing list specifically for RPM.
To subscribe to the list, it's necessary to send a mail message to
</P>
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<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
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<P>On the message's subject line, place the word
subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list.
</P>

<P>To send messages to the list, address them to
</P>
<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>As with other online forums, it's advisable to lurk for a while before sending anything to
the list. That way, you'll be able to see what types of questions are acceptable for the list. Let
the list's name be your guide; if the message you want to send doesn't have anything to do
with RPM, you shouldn't send it to rpm-list!
</P>

<P>In general, the flavor of rpm-list is a bit biased toward RPM's development, building
packages, and issues surrounding the porting of RPM to other systems. If your question is
more along the lines of &quot;How do I use RPM to install new software?&quot; consider reviewing the
first half of this book and lurking on rpm-list a while first.
</P>

<H4>
F.2.2. The redhat-list Mailing List
</H4>

<P>The redhat-list mailing list is meant to serve as a forum for users of Red Hat Software's
Linux operating system. If your question concerns the use
of RPM on Red Hat Linux, redhat-list is a good place to start. To subscribe, send a message to
</P>

<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>On the message's subject line, place the word
subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list. As with
rpm-list, it's best to lurk for a while before posting to the list.
</P>

<P>To send messages to the list, address them to
</P>

<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
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<H4>
F.2.3. The redhat-digest Mailing List
</H4>

<P>Some people might find the number of messages on
redhat-list more than they can handle. However, there is a digest version of the list available. Each digest consists of one or
more messages sent to redhat-list. The digest is sent out when the collected messages reach a
certain size. Therefore, a digest might have one very long message or 20 smaller ones. In
either case, you'll have the collected knowledge of the Red Hat Software development team and
their many customers, delivered in one message.
</P>

<A NAME="PAGENUM-409"><P>Page 409</P></A>



<P>To subscribe to redhat-digest, send a message to
</P>

<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>On the message's subject line, place the word
subscribe. After a short delay, you should receive an automated response with general information about the mailing list.
</P>

<P>To send messages to the list, address them to
</P>

<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
[e-mail]
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>As always, observe proper netiquette&#151;lurk before you leap!
</P>

<H3>
F.3. RPM on the World Wide Web
</H3>

<P>Up-to-date information on RPM can always be found at the RPM Web site:
</P>

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<PRE>
<A HREF="http://www.rpm.org/">
http://www.rpm.org/</A>
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>The site is completely dedicated to RPM, which makes finding things a snap. You can also
try Red Hat Software's Web site:
</P>
<!-- CODE SNIP //-->
<PRE>
<A HREF="http://www.redhat.com/">
http://www.redhat.com/</A>
</PRE>
<!-- END CODE SNIP //-->

<P>This site's content changes frequently, so it's impossible to specify an exact URL for RPM
information. However, the site is very well run and always has a comprehensive table of
contents as well as a search engine.
</P>

<H3>
F.4. RPM's License
</H3>

<P>RPM is licensed under the GNU General Public License or, as it's more
commonly called, the GPL. If you're not familiar with the GPL, it would be worthwhile to spend a few minutes
looking it over. The purpose of the GPL is to ensure that GPLed software remains freely available.
</P>

<P>&quot;Freely available&quot; doesn't necessarily mean at no cost, although GPLed software is often
available by anonymous FTP. The idea behind the GPL is to make it impossible for anyone to
take GPLed code and make it proprietary. But enough preliminaries! The best way to
understand the GPL is to read it:
</P>
<CENTER>
<P>
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
</P>

<P>Version 2, June 1991</P>
</CENTER>

<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
Copyright &quot; 1989, 1991<BR>
Free Software Foundation, Inc.<BR>
675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA<BR>
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license
document, but changing it is not allowed.
</P>
</BLOCKQUOTE>

<A NAME="PAGENUM-410"><P>Page 410</P></A>



<B>Preamble
</B>

<P>The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change
it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to
share and change free software&#151;to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General
Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other
program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software
is covered by the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your
programs, too.
</P>

<P>When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General
Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free
software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if
you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that
you know you can do these things.
</P>

<P>To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these
rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities
for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
</P>

<P>For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you
must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive
or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
</P>

<P>We protect your rights with two steps:
</P>

<OL>
<LI>          copyright the software, and
<LI>          offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute
and/or modify the software.
</OL>

<P>Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone
understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is
modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that
any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors' reputations.
</P>

<P>Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid