Re: rpm 5.1.9 issues on powerPC architecture

[Rajul Bhavsar]

Thanks Jeff.

Please find answers inline.

-Rajul

On Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 9:58 PM, Jeff Johnson  wrote:

>
> On Apr 11, 2016, at 1:25 PM, Rajul Bhavsar wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> We are trying to use rpm 5.1.9 on powerPC architecture. But, we see that
> there are issues with basic querying:
>
>
> Hmm why rpm-5.1.9, which was released quite some time ago?
>  Yes, its older version. But that is what current version we had. Will
> like to move to 5.4.14 in near future and that rpm version performs all
> required queries perfectly fine.
>
> $ rpm -qai
> rpm: -qai: unknown option
> $
>
>
> Try a simpler query first: does rpm -qa "work"?
>


>  Yes, -qa works, but --xml or --yaml do not work along with -qpi.
> Also, use of --force give same error in rpm -iv command.
>


> The -i option is contextually dependent with multiple meanings in rpm
> and the processing is painfully complex. Identifying what does and does not
> work will be helpful in finding a fix.
>
> When we try to query custom metadata (implemented using arbitrary tags)
> then also it is failing (giving output as *(none)*). We have proper macro
> file in /usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/macros and rpm is referring to it.
>
>
> (from memory of a recent patch from Poky/Yocto)
>
> The arbitrary tag values are likely in native endian.
> Did you build and query both on the same machine, or are you
> trying to query a package built on x86_64 on a ppc* machine?
>


>  rpm files are generated on x86_64 machines but querying it on ppc
> machines (arch within rpm is ppc). Inbuilt metadata can be queried using
> --qf but not custom metadata. I guessed that endianness should not have
> impact rpm metadata content. But, even if it has, then it should give
> garbled values and not "(none)" as its result. However, querying custom
> metadata works fine in 5.4.14.
>


> $ rpm --showrc | grep macros
> macrofiles:
> /usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/macros:/usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/ppc-linux/macros:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/macros.*:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/macros:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/ppc-linux/macros:~/.rpmmacros-5.1.9
> $
>
> We see that on x86_64 these things work fine. We do not see anything
> specific to architecture in the build of rpm, but only difference is that -
> host's arch is x86_64.
>
> Can anybody tell what is peculiar about rpm on powerPC arch?
>
>
> hth
>
> 73 de Jeff
>
> Thanks,
> Rajul
>
>
>

Re: rpm 5.1.9 issues on powerPC architecture

[Jeff Johnson]

On Apr 11, 2016, at 1:25 PM, Rajul Bhavsar wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> We are trying to use rpm 5.1.9 on powerPC architecture. But, we see that 
> there are issues with basic querying:
> 

Hmm why rpm-5.1.9, which was released quite some time ago?

> $ rpm -qai
> rpm: -qai: unknown option
> $
> 

Try a simpler query first: does rpm -qa "work"?

The -i option is contextually dependent with multiple meanings in rpm
and the processing is painfully complex. Identifying what does and does not
work will be helpful in finding a fix.

> When we try to query custom metadata (implemented using arbitrary tags) then 
> also it is failing (giving output as (none)). We have proper macro file in 
> /usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/macros and rpm is referring to it.
> 

(from memory of a recent patch from Poky/Yocto)

The arbitrary tag values are likely in native endian.
Did you build and query both on the same machine, or are you
trying to query a package built on x86_64 on a ppc* machine?

> $ rpm --showrc | grep macros
> macrofiles: 
> /usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/macros:/usr/lib/rpm-5.1.9/ppc-linux/macros:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/macros.*:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/macros:/etc/rpm/5.1.9/ppc-linux/macros:~/.rpmmacros-5.1.9
> $
> 
> We see that on x86_64 these things work fine. We do not see anything specific 
> to architecture in the build of rpm, but only difference is that - host's 
> arch is x86_64.
> 
> Can anybody tell what is peculiar about rpm on powerPC arch?
> 

hth

73 de Jeff
> Thanks,
> Rajul