rpm

RPM package management tool.

Description

The rpm command is a management tool for RPM packages. Originally, rpm was a program specifically used by the Red Hat Linux distribution to manage various Linux packages. Due to its adherence to GPL rules and its powerful, convenient features, it has become widely popular and gradually adopted by other distributions. The emergence of the RPM package management system has made Linux easier to install and upgrade, indirectly enhancing its applicability.

Syntax

rpm(options)(parameters)

Options

-a: Query all packages.
-b<stage><package_file>+ or -t <stage><package_file>+: Set the completion stage for packaging and specify the package filename.
-c: List only configuration files; this parameter must be used with the "-l" parameter.
-d: List only documentation files; this parameter must be used with the "-l" parameter.
-e<package> or --erase<package>: Delete the specified package.
-f<file>+: Query the package that owns the specified file.
-h or --hash: List hash marks during package installation.
-i: Display related information about the package.
-i<package_file> or --install<package_file>: Install the specified package file.
-l: Display the file list for the package.
-p<package_file>+: Query the specified RPM package file.
-q: Use query mode; for any issues, the rpm command will prompt the user first.
-R: Display dependency information for the package.
-s: Display file status; this parameter must be used with the "-l" parameter.
-U<package_file> or --upgrade<package_file>: Upgrade the specified package file.
-v: Display the execution process of the command.
-vv: Display the execution process in detail for troubleshooting.

Parameters

Package: Specifies the RPM package to be operated on.

Examples

How to install an RPM package

RPM package installation can be completed using the rpm program. Execute the following command:

rpm -ivh your-package.rpm

Where your-package.rpm is the name of the RPM package you want to install, generally located in the current directory.

During installation, the following warnings or prompts may appear:

... conflict with ...

This may mean that some files in the package to be installed would overwrite existing files. By default, installation will not proceed. You can use rpm --force -i to force the installation.

... is needed by ...
... is not installed ...

This indicates that some software required by this package is not installed. You can use rpm --nodeps -i to ignore this message. In other words, rpm -i --force --nodeps can ignore all dependencies and file issues, allowing any package to be installed. However, such a forced installation cannot guarantee full functionality.

How to install a .src.rpm package

Some packages end in .src.rpm. These packages contain source code and need to be compiled during installation. There are two methods to install these packages:

Method 1:

rpm -i your-package.src.rpm
cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS
rpmbuild -bp your-package.specs             # A specs file with the same name as your package
cd /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/your-package/      # A directory with the same name as your package
./configure                                 # This step is the same as compiling normal source software
make
make install

Method 2:

rpm -i your-package.src.rpm
cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS

The first two steps are the same as Method 1.

rpmbuild -bb your-package.specs       # A specs file with the same name as your package

At this point, in /usr/src/redhat/RPM/i386/ (or i686, noarch, etc., depending on the package), there will be a new RPM package, which is the compiled binary.

Execute rpm -i new-package.rpm to complete the installation.

How to uninstall an RPM package

Use the command rpm -e package_name. The package name can include version information but cannot have the .rpm suffix. For example, to uninstall proftpd-1.2.8-1, you can use the following formats:

rpm -e proftpd-1.2.8-1
rpm -e proftpd-1.2.8
rpm -e proftpd-
rpm -e proftpd

The following formats are NOT allowed:

rpm -e proftpd-1.2.8-1.i386.rpm
rpm -e proftpd-1.2.8-1.i386
rpm -e proftpd-1.2
rpm -e proftpd-1

Sometimes errors or warnings may appear:

... is needed by ...

This indicates that this software is required by other software and cannot be uninstalled casually. You can use rpm -e --nodeps to force uninstallation.

How to extract files from an RPM package without installing it

Use the tools rpm2cpio and cpio:

rpm2cpio xxx.rpm | cpio -vi
rpm2cpio xxx.rpm | cpio -idmv
rpm2cpio xxx.rpm | cpio --extract --make-directories

The i and extract parameters are the same, meaning extract files. v indicates showing the execution process. d and make-directory are the same, meaning create directories based on the original paths of the files in the package. m means maintain the modification time of the files.

How to view files and other information related to an RPM package

All the following examples assume the use of the package mysql-3.23.54a-11.

What RPM packages are installed in my system?

rpm -qa # Lists all installed packages

To find all installed packages containing the string "sql":

rpm -qa | grep sql

How to get the full name of a package?

rpm -q mysql

This gets the full name of the mysql package installed in the system, from which you can obtain the current version and other information. In this example, you might get mysql-3.23.54a-11.

Where were the files in an RPM package installed?

rpm -ql package_name

Note that this is the package name without the .rpm suffix. If you only want to know where the executable programs are, you can also use which, for example:

which mysql

What files does an RPM package contain?

For an uninstalled package: rpm -qlp ****.rpm
For an installed package: rpm -ql ****

How to get version, purpose, and other related information about a package?

For an uninstalled package: rpm -qip ****.rpm
For an installed package: rpm -qi ****

Which package installed a certain program, or which package contains this program?

rpm -qf `which program_name`    # Returns the full name of the package
rpm -qif `which program_name`   # Returns information about the package
rpm -qlf `which program_name`   # Returns the file list of the package

Note: Use backticks (`) for command substitution. You can also use rpm -qilf to output both package information and the file list.

Which package installed a certain file, or which package contains this file?

The previous method only applies to executable programs. The following method can be used for any file, provided you know its path. First, get the full path of the file (using whereis or which), then use rpm -qf:

whereis ftptop
ftptop: /usr/bin/ftptop /usr/share/man/man1/ftptop.1.gz

rpm -qf /usr/bin/ftptop
proftpd-1.2.8-1

rpm -qf /usr/share/doc/proftpd-1.2.8/rfc/rfc0959.txt
proftpd-1.2.8-1

More Examples

Library dependencies: http://rpmfind.net/

Source package -> Compilation -> Binary package (RPM package / Default system package)

RPM naming rules: Software (Name, Version) + System (OS Version, Architecture) RPM verification: SM5DLUGT -> Size, Mode (type/permissions), MD5, Device, Link path, User, Group, Time (modified time)

YUM: Solves RPM dependency issues.

# rpm
mysql57-community-release-el6-8.noarch.rpm # An example of an RPM package name
/var/lib/rpm/ # Database mapping full package names to package names

rpm -Uivh --nodeps xxx # upgrade install verbose hash
rpm -qilpfa | grep xxx # query info list(file locations) package(rpm file) file(belongs to) all
rpm -e # erase (uninstall)
rpm -V # verify
rpm2cpio | cpio -idv

# Default RPM installation locations
/etc/           Configuration files
/usr/bin/       Executable files
/usr/lib/       Libraries used by programs
/usr/share/doc/ Documentation/Manuals
/usr/share/man/ Manual pages