RPM installation
 

Dear All,

when We try to install a rpm, what is the process that exactly happens ?

Till today I was under the perception that rpm -ivh package.rpm will just unzip the package.rpm to place the files in it to corresponding directories, depending on the type of the files.

Does rpm -ivh will compile and install a package ?

Since rpm -qR package.rpm will give the dependency of libraries by the package.

As per my understanding libraries are needed only during the compilation process.

If my understanding is true on rpm installation, How does an rpm depends on some libraries before installation.

Thanks in advance..

The process of RPM package installation

Performing dependency checks:
Some packages will not operate properly unless some other package is installed, too. RPM makes sure that the package being installed will have its dependency requirements met. It will also insure that the package's installation will not cause dependency problems for other already-installed packages.
Checking for conflicts:
RPM performs a number of checks during this phase. These checks look for things like attempts to install an already installed package, attempts to install an older package over a newer version, or the possibility that a file may be overwritten.
Performing any tasks required before the install:
There are cases where one or more commands must be given prior to the actual installation of a package. RPM performs these commands exactly as directed by the package builder, thus eliminating a common source of problems during installations.
Deciding what to do with config files:
One of the features that really sets RPM apart from other package managers, is the way it handles configuration files. Since these files are normally changed to customize the behavior of installed software, simply overwriting a config file would tend to make people angry — all their customizations would be gone! Instead, RPM analyzes the situation and attempts to do "the right thing" with config files, even if they weren't originally installed by RPM!
Unpacking files from the package and putting them in the proper place:
This is the step most people think of when they think about installing software. Each package file contains a list of files that are to be installed, as well as their destination on your system. In addition, many other file attributes, such as permissions and ownerships, are set correctly by RPM.
Performing any tasks required after the install:
Very often a new package requires that one or more commands be executed after the new files are in place. An example of this would be running ldconfig to make new shared libraries accessible.
Keeping track of what it did:
Every time RPM installs a package on your system, it keeps track of the files it installed, in its database. The database contains a wealth of information necessary for RPM to do its job. For example, RPM uses the database when it checks for possible conflicts during an install.

Thanks raju,

My question is why this step is needed ?

Since most of the dependencies are shared libraries, as these are required during compilation of any package to build an executable especially during installation by source code.

rpm's are compiled packages. Still why they need shared libraries during installation ?

Can anybody clarify this ?

Thanks again.

Let's try. RPMs need other RPMs to work properly (not simply to be installed, unless your system lacks the /bin/rpm executable itself... and some other things). Since they are shared libraries, it means that they are not built (included) in the binary executables, but only referenced (otherwise they would be static libraries). The advantage is to keep programs light, to avoid redundancy (not useful repetition of the same blocks of code inside different programs) and usually to speed-up their execution.

Edit: a good and brief explanation of the difference between static and shared libraries is given here and here is the relevant quote:

Hi vinay,

Take an example

We need to install software "A" { which has dependencies x1,x2....}

But We have Shared libraries X1,X2... { which are latest or older versions of x1,x2.. But not same version we need.}

Then dependency checker will identify this. It says that software "A" needs x1,x2...

Simple words, I Want to say, some softwares needs exact versions of libraries. some softwares need exact version or greater version. so this information must be verified by Dependency checker.

This clarifies.

Thanks Colucix and Raju