[plug] RPM requires/provides question

[Michael Hunt]

On Mon, 2003-08-04 at 21:27, Cameron Patrick wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 04, 2003 at 09:21:52PM +0800, Derek Fountain wrote:
> | 
> | > rpm -q --whatprovides /bin/csh
> | tcsh-6.12.00-40
> | 
> | Now I'm confused. The "--provides" operation on tcsh doesn't say it provides 
> | "/bin/csh", but the "--whatprovides" operation on the file says it does.
> | 
> | Why the inconsistency? I'm no expert on RPM. What have I misunderstood?
> 
> As another RPM non-expert, I'll hazard a guess: perhaps every file in an
> RPM package automatically counts as a "provides" ?  (Just going on the
> observation that 'twas "/bin/csh" not just "csh" or "tcsh".)
> 
> CP.

Check for symbolic links. Man tcsh provides the following :-

tcsh is  an enhanced but completely compatible version of the Berkeley
UNIX C shell, csh(1).

I would hazard a guess and say /bin/csh is a symbolic link to /bin/tcsh.

The inconsitency in the rpm output would be explained by this and the
answer to why there is the this inconsistency is probably best put down
to semantics.

It actually 'provides' tcsh, which in turn symbolic links /bin/csh to it
which is 'what' the rpm 'provides'

man rpm for a more detailed explanation of the arguments --provides and
--whatprovides.

Michael Hunt