(1) There is a way in rpm to install a specific file only if an action is made?

example : there is a rpm that contain 2 files /etc/file1 and /etc/file2. on the system /etc/file1 is already exist but /etc/file2 is not exist.
Now we install the rpm via rpm -i and we want that the rpm will install only /etc/file2. is it possible?

(2) Where can I define a variable\function(in the spec file) that will be available for all the un\pre\post install scripts? (if I define variable in %pre it will be available only inside the %pre script)

(3) Why it is not good to create rpm that will installs other rpms in his post-script?

1. yes, you can extract files from rpms using file roller

2. no idea...

3. i don't know, i guess that maybe its because each rpm installed goes into a lists of everything that is installed on your system. Perhaps if you installed multiple packages under 1 rpm then it may not enter them correctly into the rpm list

If file0 is marked %config(noreplace) then on update %config file1 should be added? Sure you can --justdb later on but IMHO extracting files from a package should not constitute installing because you bypass the whole reason for using a package manager in the first place.


As far as I know .spec files "just" drive building a package. It's not like a %define lives past building the package. What would the variable store?


If you're talking dependency resolution RPM should handle it all by itself. If you mean something else please supply an example.

What is a file roller and how can I use it?

But if I use config(noreplace) it must be a configration file, and I want to control also none config files.
Can I execute a roll before each file that is going to be installed on the rpm?


for example I want to define a const variable that we be define in the preinstall postinstall and unpreinstall unpostinstall, so I will not need to define it on each scriptlet.

Maybe it's time you posted a Real Life example.


A WHAT?


You can't define an environment variable outside of %pre, %post, %preun, %postun et cetera and hope it will survive building the package.

I already posted an example,I will repeat that example :
spec file contain 2 files ,/etc/a /etc/b, and I want that during the installation of the rpm only /etc/a will be installed and not /etc/b, because the file /etc/b is already exist in the system at the same location.
So there is a way to do that? it is like to run a rule because each file that going to be installed and by this rule the file will be installed or not.


OK, I just wanted to do some thing simillar that you can do in solaris pkgs by using the checkinstall scriptlet, you can see it in the link :
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/packages/....packages.html

file roller it just an external program that can extract files from rpm(like rpm2cpio), I didn't ment to do that. I want to do thome thing that you can do in solaris pkgs, but I didn't find how to do it in rpm packages. read the following link :
http://docsrv.sco.com/SDK_tools/pkgs...on_Script.html

I asked for a Real Life example. As in show me packagers who actually do this.


Ah, I see. OK. Use Solaris then ;-p