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RPM was originally written in 1997 by Erik Troan and Marc Ewing, based Solaris package manager.
Yum which now is standard software manager in Red Hat did not appear in Red Hat until RHEL5 was released. RPM repositories existed longer, but different utility (up2date) was used to access them and patch the server.
Initially the was a simple command like utility to work with RPM software package named, appropriately rpm This command was used to install package files after they had been downloaded. That worked, but there was one major issue: the dependency hell. Because RPM packages have always focused on specific functionality, to install specific software, a collection of RPM packages was normally required. Therefore, a “missing dependency” message was often issued while users were trying to install RPM packages, which means that to install the selected package, other packages needed to be installed first.
RPM still is useful utility that now is used mainly for installation of individual packages and performing query to extract useful information from RPM database on the particular server (rpm does not work with remote repositories like yum does). Even now with yum available many sysadmins use rpm to view the list of packages that are installed on the system and for other qures against RPM database/ So the most common RPM command those days is the command that list all installed RPM packages
rpm -qa
Of couse the list inraw form is huge (around 1.5K packages for a typiucal system, so you need to extract relevant part of it using grep
rpm -qa | fgrep -v perl
TIP
On your system, two package databases are maintained: the yum database and the rpm database. When you are installing packages through yum, the yum database is updated first, after which the updated information is synchronized to the RPM database. If you install packages using the rpm command, the update is written to the rpm database only and will not be updated to the yum database
The rpm command enables you to get much information about packages. Using RPM queries can be a really useful way to find out how software can be configured and used. To start, you can use the rpm -qa command. Like yum list installed, this command shows a list of all software that is installed on the machine. Use grep on this command to find out specific package names. To perform queries on RPM packages, you just need the name and not the version information.
After finding the package about which you want to have more information, you can start with some generic queries to find out what is in the package. In the following examples, I assume that you are using RPM queries on the nmap RPM package. To start, type rpm -qi nmap to get a description of the package.
The next step is to use rpm -ql nmap, which shows a list of all files that are in the package nmap. On some packages, the result can be a really long list of filenames that is not particularly useful.
To get more specific information, you can use
Using RPM queries can really help in finding out more useful information about packages. The only thing that you need to know is the RPM package name a specific file belongs to.
To find this, use
rpm -qf <filename>
the filename should be specified with path, for examle /bin/ls. So you should us e rpm -qf /bin/ls not rpm -qf ls to find the name of the RPM the ls command comes from.
RPM queries by default are used on the RPM database, and what you are querying are installed RPMs. It sometimes makes sense to install an RPM before it is actually installed. To do this, you need to add the -p option to the query, because without the -p option, you will be querying the database not the package file. Also, when querying a package file, you need to refer to the complete filename, including the version number and all other information that you do not have to use when querying the RPM database. As an example, the rpm -qp --scripts httpd-2.4.6-19.el7.centos.x86_64.rpm command queries the specific RPM file to see whether there are scripts contained with the RPM.
A query option that needs special attention is --scripts. This option queries an RPM package to see which scripts it contains (if any). This option is especially important when combined with the -p option, to find out whether a package that you are going to install includes any scripts.
When you are installing RPM packages, you will be doing that as root. Before installing an RPM package from an unknown source, you really need to make sure that it does not include any rogue scripts. If you do not, you do risk installing malware on your computer without even knowing it.
TIP
Working with RPM queries is a valuable skill on the RHCSA and the RHCE exams. If you know how to handle queries, you can find all relevant configuration files and the documentation.
Partially borrowed from 20 Practical Examples of RPM Commands in Linux
Let's say you would like to do a dependency check before installing or upgrading a package that is residing on you local filesystem. For example, use the following command to check the dependencies of package. It will display the list of dependencies of package. You have package tree in you /root directory you can use:
# rpm -qpR tree*
If you know that all needed packages are already installed or that package will work with older libraries that are already installed you can ignore those dependencies by using the option –nodeps (no dependencies check) before installing the package.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -ivh --nodeps BitTorrent-5.2.2-1-Python2.4.noarch.rpm Preparing... ########################################### [100%] 1:BitTorrent ########################################### [100%]
The above command forcefully install rpm package by ignoring dependencies errors, but if those dependency files are missing, then the program will not work at all, until you install them.
Using -q option with package name, will show whether an rpm installed or not.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -q BitTorrent BitTorrent-5.2.2-1.noarch
Use the following rpm command with -qa (query all) option, will list all the recently installed rpm packages.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -qa --last BitTorrent-5.2.2-1.noarch Tue 04 Dec 2012 05:14:06 PM BDT pidgin-2.7.9-5.el6.2.i686 Tue 04 Dec 2012 05:13:51 PM BDT cyrus-sasl-devel-2.1.23-13.el6_3.1.i686 Tue 04 Dec 2012 04:43:06 PM BDT cyrus-sasl-2.1.23-13.el6_3.1.i686 Tue 04 Dec 2012 04:43:05 PM BDT cyrus-sasl-md5-2.1.23-13.el6_3.1.i686 Tue 04 Dec 2012 04:43:04 PM BDT cyrus-sasl-plain-2.1.23-13.el6_3.1.i686 Tue 04 Dec 2012 04:43:03 PM BDT
If we want to upgrade any RPM package "–U" (upgrade) option will be used. One of the major advantages of using this option is that it will not only upgrade the latest version of any package, but it will also maintain the backup of the older package so that in case if the newer upgraded package does not run the previously installed package can be used again.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -Uvh nx-3.5.0-2.el6.centos.i686.rpm Preparing... ########################################### [100%] 1:nx ########################################### [100%]
To un-install an RPM package, for example we use the package name nx, not the original package name nx-3.5.0-2.el6.centos.i686.rpm. The -e (erase) option is used to remove package.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -evv nx
The –nodeps (Do not check dependencies) option forcefully remove the rpm package from the system. But keep in mind removing particular package may break other working applications.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -ev --nodeps vsftpd
Let's say, you have list of files and you would like to find out which package belongs to these files. For example, the following command with -qf (query file) option will show you a file /usr/bin/htpasswd is own by package httpd-tools-2.2.15-15.el6.centos.1.i686.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -qf /usr/bin/htpasswd httpd-tools-2.2.15-15.el6.centos.1.i686
Let's say you have installed an rpm package and want to know the information about the package. The following -qi (query info) option will print the available information of the installed package.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -qi vsftpd Name : vsftpd Relocations: (not relocatable) Version : 2.2.2 Vendor: CentOS Release : 11.el6 Build Date: Fri 22 Jun 2012 01:54:24 PM BDT Install Date: Mon 17 Sep 2012 07:55:28 PM BDT Build Host: c6b8.bsys.dev.centos.org Group : System Environment/Daemons Source RPM: vsftpd-2.2.2-11.el6.src.rpm Size : 351932 License: GPLv2 with exceptions Signature : RSA/SHA1, Mon 25 Jun 2012 04:07:34 AM BDT, Key ID 0946fca2c105b9de Packager : CentOS BuildSystem <http://bugs.centos.org> URL : http://vsftpd.beasts.org/ Summary : Very Secure Ftp Daemon Description : vsftpd is a Very Secure FTP daemon. It was written completely from scratch.
If you want know the information about this package before installing use -qi (query info package) will print the information of a package sqlbuddy.
# rpm -qip tree
To get the list of available documentation of an installed package, use the following command with option -qdf (query document file) will display the manual pages related to vmstat package.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -qdf /usr/bin/vmstat /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/BUGS /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/COPYING /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/COPYING.LIB /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/FAQ /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/NEWS /usr/share/doc/procps-3.2.8/TODO
Verifying a package compares information of installed files of the package against the rpm database. The -Vp (verify package) is used to verify a package.
[root@tecmint downloads]# rpm -Vp sqlbuddy-1.3.3-1.noarch.rpm S.5....T. c /etc/httpd/conf.d/sqlbuddy.conf
Type the following command to verify all the installed rpm packages.
[root@tecmint]# rpm -Va S.5....T. c /etc/rc.d/rc.local .......T. c /etc/dnsmasq.conf .......T. /etc/ld.so.conf.d/kernel-2.6.32-279.5.2.el6.i686.conf S.5....T. c /etc/yum.conf S.5....T. c /etc/yum.repos.d/epel.repo
Sometimes rpm database gets corrupted and stops all the functionality of rpm and other applications on the system. So, at the time we need to rebuild the rpm database and restore it with the help of following command.
[root@tecmint]# cd /var/lib [root@tecmint]# rm __db* [root@tecmint]# rpm --rebuilddb [root@tecmint]# rpmdb_verify Packages
d620@ROOT:~ # rpm --help Usage: rpm [OPTION...]
Query/Verify package selection options:
-a, --all query/verify all packages
-f, --file query/verify package(s) owning file
-g, --group query/verify package(s) in group
-p, --package query/verify a package file
--pkgid query/verify package(s) with package identifier
--hdrid query/verify package(s) with header identifier
--triggeredby query the package(s) triggered by the package
--whatrequires query/verify the package(s) which require a dependency
--whatprovides query/verify the package(s) which provide a dependency
--nomanifest do not process non-package files as manifests
Query options (with -q or --query):
-c, --configfiles list all configuration files
-d, --docfiles list all documentation files
-L, --licensefiles list all license files
--dump dump basic file information
-l, --list list files in package
--queryformat=QUERYFORMAT use the following query format
-s, --state display the states of the listed files
Verify options (with -V or --verify):
--nofiledigest don't verify digest of files
--nofiles don't verify files in package
--nodeps don't verify package dependencies
--noscript don't execute verify script(s)
Install/Upgrade/Erase options:
--allfiles install all files, even configurations which might
otherwise be skipped
--allmatches remove all packages which match (normally an
error is generated if specified multiple
packages)
--badreloc relocate files in non-relocatable package
-e, --erase=+ erase (uninstall) package
--excludedocs do not install documentation
--excludepath= skip files with leading component
--force short hand for --replacepkgs --replacefiles
-F, --freshen=+ upgrade package(s) if already installed
-h, --hash print hash marks as package installs (good with -v)
--ignorearch don't verify package architecture
--ignoreos don't verify package operating system
--ignoresize don't check disk space before installing
-i, --install install package(s)
--justdb update the database, but do not modify the filesystem
--nodeps do not verify package dependencies
--nofiledigest don't verify digest of files
--nocontexts don't install file security contexts
--noorder do not reorder package installation to satisfy
dependencies
--noscripts do not execute package scriptlet(s)
--notriggers do not execute any scriptlet(s) triggered by this package
--nocollections do not perform any collection actions
--oldpackage upgrade to an old version of the package (--force on
upgrades does this automatically)
--percent print percentages as package installs
--prefix=<dir> relocate the package to <dir>, if relocatable
--relocate=<old>=<new> relocate files from path <old> to <new>
--replacefiles ignore file conflicts between packages
--replacepkgs reinstall if the package is already present
--test don't install, but tell if it would work or not
-U, --upgrade=+ upgrade package(s)
--reinstall=+ reinstall package(s)
Common options for all rpm modes and executables:
-D, --define='MACRO EXPR' define MACRO with value EXPR
--undefine=MACRO undefine MACRO
-E, --eval='EXPR' print macro expansion of EXPR
--macros=<FILE:...> read <FILE:...> instead of default file(s)
--noplugins don't enable any plugins
--nodigest don't verify package digest(s)
--nosignature don't verify package signature(s)
--rcfile=<FILE:...> read <FILE:...> instead of default file(s)
-r, --root=ROOT use ROOT as top level directory (default: "/")
--dbpath=DIRECTORY use database in DIRECTORY
--querytags display known query tags
--showrc display final rpmrc and macro configuration
--quiet provide less detailed output
-v, --verbose provide more detailed output
--version print the version of rpm being used
Options implemented via popt alias/exec:
--scripts list install/erase scriptlets from package(s)
--setperms set permissions of files in a package
--setugids set user/group ownership of files in a package
--conflicts list capabilities this package conflicts with
--obsoletes list other packages removed by installing this package
--provides list capabilities that this package provides
--requires list capabilities required by package(s)
--info list descriptive information from package(s)
--changelog list change logs for this package
--xml list metadata in xml
--triggers list trigger scriptlets from package(s)
--last list package(s) by install time, most recent first
--dupes list duplicated packages
--filesbypkg list all files from each package
--fileclass list file names with classes
--filecolor list file names with colors
--fscontext list file names with security context from file system
--fileprovide list file names with provides
--filerequire list file names with requires
--filecaps list file names with POSIX1.e capabilities
Help options:
-?, --help Show this help message
--usage Display brief usage message
NOTE: rpm also is available via alias repoquery. This alias is created when you install the yum-utils package and it displays different behaviour that rpm despite the fact that it is aan alias to the same binary. It might be more convenient to use in some cases.
[0]d620@ROOT:~ # repoquery
Usage: repoquery [options]
Options:
--version show program's version number and exit
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-l, --list list files in this package/group
-i, --info list descriptive info from this package/group
-f, --file query which package provides this file
--qf=QUERYFORMAT, --queryformat=QUERYFORMAT
specify a custom output format for queries
--groupmember list which group(s) this package belongs to
-q, --query no-op for rpmquery compatibility
-a, --all query all packages/groups
-R, --requires list package dependencies
--provides list capabilities this package provides
--obsoletes list other packages obsoleted by this package
--conflicts list capabilities this package conflicts with
--changelog show changelog for this package
--location show download URL for this package
--nevra show name-epoch:version-release.architecture info of
package
--envra show epoch:name-version-release.architecture info of
package
--nvr show name, version, release info of package
-s, --source show package source RPM name
--srpm operate on corresponding source RPM
--resolve resolve capabilities to originating package(s)
--alldeps check non-explicit dependencies (files and Provides:)
as well, defaults to on
--exactdeps check dependencies exactly as given, opposite of
--alldeps
--recursive recursively query for packages (for whatrequires)
--whatprovides query what package(s) provide a capability
--whatrequires query what package(s) require a capability
--whatobsoletes query what package(s) obsolete a capability
--whatconflicts query what package(s) conflicts with a capability
-g, --group query groups instead of packages
--grouppkgs=GROUPPKGS
filter which packages (all,optional etc) are shown
from groups
--archlist=ARCHLIST only query packages of certain architecture(s)
--releasever=RELEASEVER
set value of $releasever in yum config and repo files
--pkgnarrow=PKGNARROW
limit query to installed / available / recent /
updates / extras / all (available + installed) /
repository (default) packages
--installed limit query to installed pkgs only
--show-duplicates show all versions of packages
--repoid=REPOID specify repoids to query, can be specified multiple
times (default is all enabled)
--enablerepo=ENABLEREPOS
specify additional repoids to query, can be specified
multiple times
--disablerepo=DISABLEREPOS
specify repoids to disable, can be specified multiple
times
--repofrompath=REPOFROMPATH
specify repoid & paths of additional repositories -
unique repoid and complete path required, can be
specified multiple times. Example.
--repofrompath=myrepo,/path/to/repo
--plugins enable yum plugin support
--quiet quiet output, only error output to stderr (default
enabled)
--verbose verbose output (opposite of quiet)
-C, --cache run from cache only
--tempcache use private cache (default when used as non-root)
--querytags list available tags in queryformat queries
-c CONFFILE, --config=CONFFILE
config file location
--level=TREE_LEVEL levels to display (can be any number or 'all', default
to 'all')
--output=OUTPUT output format to use (can be text|ascii-tree|dot-tree,
default to 'text')
--search Use yum's search to return pkgs
--search-fields=SEARCHFIELDS
search fields to search using --search
--installroot=INSTALLROOT
set install root
--setopt=SETOPTS set arbitrary config and repo options
The repoquery command is pretty similar to the rpm -q command and uses many similar options. There is just one significant option missing: the --script option. A simple solution is to make sure that you are using trusted repositories only, to prevent installing software that contains dangerous script code.
If you need to thoroughly analyze what an RPM package is doing when it is installed, you can download it to your machine, which allows you to use the rpm -qp --scripts command on the package. To download a package from the repository to the local directory, you can use the yumdownloader command, which comes from the yum-utils package or user option d in yum (new for RHEL7)
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RPM Package Manager - Wikipedia
rpm package manager Developers site.
Packaging software with RPM, Part 3: Accommodating software dependencies In this third article in a three-part series on the RPM Package Manager, discover the ins and outs of software dependencies, and learn how to control and customize your software packaging. (This series replaces an earlier series on RPM written by Dan Poirier.)
20 Practical Examples of RPM Commands in Linux
RPM Command 15 Examples to Install, Uninstall, Upgrade, Query RPM Packages
Using the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) -- very old tutorial. Part of ebook Linux Administration Made Easy by Steve Frampton, <[email protected]>
How to build rpm packages - Opensource.com
Creating RPM packages -- Fedora Docs Site
RPM Notes - Grahams Ultimate Wiki
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