[ale] Digging out from rpm database rubble

[John Mills]

ALErs -

I am working my way back from outer rpm-darkness on my creaking RH-6.2
installation.

1) I had a recent output of 'rpm -qa' [a _very_ _Good_Thing_ to have, it
now seems].

2) I edited a package list from it, then with a simple script I plugged
most rpms on the list back: I first made backups of /etc and all parts of
/var _not_ identified with 'rpm', then I forced installation from RH-6.2
disc 1 of the listed packages. I got the database as a side effect. Then I
swapped my backups of /etc and /var back in to recover net setups, mail
spool, etc.

3) This seems to have worked: I didn't kill my system, and now I have a
reasonably full set of 6.2 rpms in known to rpm-3.* as installed.

I also find I am missing some basic items, at least from the
database. Here is the dump of one upgrade attempt:

*************************************************************************
[...]# rpm -Uvh cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2.i386.rpm
error: failed dependencies:
        /sbin/install-info   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        /bin/sh   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        /bin/sh   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1 is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1 is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        ld-linux.so.2   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libc.so.6   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libcrypt.so.1   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libz.so.1   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        /bin/sh   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.0)   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.1)   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
        libcrypt.so.1(GLIBC_2.0)   is needed by cvs-1.11.1p1-6.2
[...]#
*************************************************************************

Some of these files are happily installed; some not. Where should I look
for rpms of [say] /bin/sh, libc.so.6 (and sibs), etc? How can I smoothly
find the *.rpm for a given file here? I've fumbled around a bit, but not
gotten quite what I want. (I don't want to just force every rpm
installation or upgrade - that loses most of what 'rpm' should be doing
for me.)

Lastly, the big one: I will want to upgrade to 'rpm-4.*' without losing my
database again. It sounds like a good moment for another 'rpm -qa' to run
against 'rpm --justdb', but I would appreciate advice on crossing that
bridge.

(Naturally rpm-wedgies are a fairly common problem: mail archives of
'rpm.org' have _plenty_ of examples. Not many were fortunate enough to
have recent 'rpm -qa' dumps lying around, though.)

 - John Mills


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