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Why relocatable packages?

One of the many problems that plague a system administrator's life is disk space. Usually, there's not enough of it, and if there is enough, chances are it's in the wrong place. Here's a hypothetical example:

It doesn't have to be this way. RPM has the ability to make packages that can be installed with a user-specified prefix that dictates where the software will actually be placed. By making packages relocatable, the package builder can make life easier for sysadmins everywhere. But what exactly is a relocatable package?

A relocatable package is a package that is standard in every way, save one. The difference lies in the prefix tag. When this tag is added to a spec file, RPM will attempt to build a relocatable package.

Note the word ``attempt''. There are a few conditions that must be met before a relocatable package can be built successfully, and this chapter will cover them all. But first, let's look at exactly how RPM can relocate a package. And the one component at the heart of package relocation is the prefix tag.


next up previous contents index
Next: The prefix tag: Relocation Up: Making a Relocatable Package Previous: Making a Relocatable Package   Contents   Index
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