Bug 50197

Summary: rpm --recompile creates binary rpm(s)
Product: [Retired] Red Hat Linux Reporter: Michael Schwendt <bugs.michael>
Component: rpm-buildAssignee: Jeff Johnson <jbj>
Status: CLOSED DEFERRED QA Contact: David Lawrence <dkl>
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: 7.1   
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: i386   
OS: Linux   
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Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
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Last Closed: 2001-12-21 00:26:32 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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patch suggestion none

Description Michael Schwendt 2001-07-27 23:42:48 UTC 
From Bugzilla Helper:
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Description of problem:
Contrary to the documentation (man rpm or rpm --help), option --recompile
creates binary rpm(s).


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. rpm --recompile <sourcepkg.rpm>
2. watch-standard-output and check the RPMS/i386/ directory
	

Actual Results:  Option --recompile created binary rpm(s).

Expected Results:  Well, if the docs are to be believed, option --recompile
should not have created any binary rpms. Option --rebuild does that and
also the source rpm(s).

Additional info:

[This has come up on the Seawolf mailing-list where I mentioned that rpm
--recompile would create binary rpms only, but no source rpms. Someone
followed up that --recompile would not create any rpms at all. But since
I've been using --recompile to create binary rpms for some time, I had to
check the docs again and found this behaviour to be either a bug or
inconsistency at least.]
Comment 1 Jeff Johnson 2001-07-28 03:07:16 UTC 
I have no clue what you are talking about. The option --recompile
creates *only* binary rpm's, but does *not* create another src.rpm.
That's the way it's always worked.
Comment 2 Michael Schwendt 2001-07-28 10:37:29 UTC 
That's the way I've used it for a long time.
*But* the docs don't say that:

See "man rpm", section REBUILD AND RECOMPILE OPTIONS:

    [...] In addition, --rebuild builds a new binary package. [...]

Should either read "... a new source package..." or should be dropped, because
--recompile builds a new binary package, too. Hence "no addition".

And from rpm --help:

    --recompile <src_pkg>  - like --rebuild, but don't build any package

Wrong. It does build a package. Just not a source package.

(Previous bug comment explains why this issue has come up.)
Comment 3 Jeff Johnson 2001-12-09 18:46:38 UTC 
Hmmm, there appears only to be a doco problem
here, not a functional problem. Since the build
modes are now in a separate executable, and
the man page will be reworked in rpm-4.1,
I'm gonna mark this problem deferred.
Comment 4 Michael Schwendt 2001-12-09 19:36:53 UTC 
Yes, it is a docu problem and most likely *the* reason why people everywhere use
(and suggest) rpm --rebuild, although they want just binary rpms and could use
rpm --recompile.
Comment 5 Michael Schwendt 2001-12-20 17:59:30 UTC 
Here're two users who can reproduce this bug:

https://listman.redhat.com/pipermail/enigma-list/2001-December/005947.html
https://listman.redhat.com/pipermail/enigma-list/2001-December/005950.html
Comment 6 Jeff Johnson 2001-12-20 18:08:34 UTC 
I'm not saying that there isn't a bug, only that I cannot reproduce.
I need to reproduce this if you want me to fix:

bash$ rpm --recompile /etc/inittab
Installing /etc/inittab
error: /etc/inittab cannot be installed
bash$
Comment 7 Michael Schwendt 2001-12-21 00:25:58 UTC 
Created attachment 41148 [details]
patch suggestion
Comment 8 Michael Schwendt 2001-12-22 02:34:02 UTC 
Sorry, the most recent comments belong to bug #57519. Will move them.