rpm2cpio and cpio for rpm file investigation

[wedgetail]

Texstar
Thanks, in case you return, I have lost my PASS to pclos2010 in a crash not overly important but would like to get back on.

The subject.
It=?

1.. the test *.rpm I have downloaded
2.. rpm2cpio only works if rpm 4.4.6 make

[gert@localhost ~]$ rpm --version
RPM version 4.4.6
[gert@localhost ~]$

From this I figure that I will have success with the 'test' package.  Perhaps I have answered my own questions.

A need a new smiley, showing a person under the influence of alchohol staggering towards the sunset    this would depict me.

[Texstar]

Texstar
Thanks, in case you return, I have lost my PASS to pclos2010 in a crash not overly important but would like to get back on.

You need to send an email to texstar at gmail.com with either your transaction number, email address you used or some way for us to identify it so we can resend the original email.

[muungwana]

It only works with binary packages created with rpm 4.4.6 or SRPMS of any rpm version. It will not work on binary packages created with rpm 4.6.x.

This explains why it always worked with packages in the repository but sometimes with packages from the internet, thanks for the explanation.

[critter]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but midnight commander offers an easy way to look inside an rpm file and cpio files.

[wedgetail]

critter
thanx, now you mentioned it, when flying through the internet on the wings of Opera, I did spot a comment about something like that, but totally forgot. I am going to test.  I think it would expand/decompress to.

Ah was there something special about MC or straight out of Synaptic?  Where do I find it, notice it is not in Synaptic?
Edit: Wrong setting in Synaptic, I have it installed, works just fine and very fast.

What I am trying to do:
A big purchased CAD program, *.rpm offered, tested out fine in plos2009 I am installing this in pclos2010. Have succeeded using a process outlined by muungwana in another thread using *deb package. Fortunately the VariCAD was also offered as *.deb.

Being very curious I logically figured that if I understood a bit more of "rpm" somewhere "out there" or better "somewhere in there" I would find the binaries. The problem preventing easy use of the rpm was a compression version change in LZMA, found plenty of examples on the net, not the underlying code.

Having success with *.deb file I started learning and it seemed the rpm2cpio/cpio was logical answer to use being part of already installed software. The surprise how I banged my head against a wall when trying to use those, bus as you can see Texstar enlightened the topic.

This is the sort of problem referred to when we are

Warned, not to go outside the Synaptic repos

in my case I really needed a good CAD program a bit above the free ones I could find, something like AutoCAD Lite, and I wanted it to run native OS not in a 'box'.  I am paying the price for this of course but put this learning about Linux and with the kind help of you Forum people I am doing well so far.

[Was_Just19]

Did the rpmxdgtool utility not work on the rpm?

Code: [Select]

rpmxdgtool --help

rpmxdgtool commands:
 maininfo : Display Package Main Info
 showcontents : Show Package Contents in KDialog
 unpack : Unpack package in current Directory
 unpackto : Unpack Package to Directory
 openHomepage : If %{url} exists open Package Homepage in Konqueror
 testinstall : Installation Test (-iv)
 forceinstalltest : Force Installation Test (-Uhv)
 installsrc : Install RPM Source Package in to Build Enviroment
Example: rpmxdgtool maininfo /tmp/rpmxdgtool-0.0.5.i586.rpm
Maybe I am misunderstanding what you are trying to achieve   

[wedgetail]

JohnBoy
The right idea but I felt very uncomfortable with the program, though I have left it installed for time being and use it from Konqueror a bit. So I have moved away from the program, see reply #2 in th topic  

[Was_Just19]

JohnBoy
The right idea but I felt very uncomfortable with the program, though I have left it installed for time being and use it from Konqueror a bit. So I have moved away from the program, see reply #2 in th topic   

Yes I saw the reply but did not understand a bit of it unfortunately   

I did not get the reference to a GUI or 3000 files etc ....  sorry

I had thought you wanted to extract the files from an RPM or at least see what the files were within it.
That tool should extract the files from within the rpm to a directory of your choice.

If you were looking to do something else then I have misunderstood your first post, sorry.

EDIT:   .....  use the tool from the command line as indicated in the help menu rather from a right click open with option which I think is what you tried?  Be sure to use the correct option for the tool ....  such as 'unpackto'
or other as required.

regards.

[wedgetail]

JohnBoy
You have understood correct what I want to do.
I did use it from command line first then discovered it in Konq, but something is not right. I think Texstar came with the solution, I need to test out on an rpm that is meant for pclos2010 or one that comes from the repo, I am working on one coming from the "outside". If you only have used the program upon repo rpm's you may not have encountered the problem.

I am get rather confused what I am trying to do right now, but your post reminded me of trying to test a repo rpm.

Edit: You are right I re-read reply #2 and edited the post a bit, I had trouble understanding, only because I knew what I meant could I read it quickly.