Description of problem: install the same rpm multiple times. There is one legititimate use case for this, though, namely installing it multiple times using different --prefix values. In development a case can be made to support this, since different developers or testers would want to test a realistic installation scneario in parallel. To support this one use case, how about extending the "name, epoch, version, release, architecture" with one more component, "prefix". This way, one could address a specific package instance via --prefix and selectively erase only the rpm installed at the specified prefix. Another consideration would be to make it illegal to have the exact same rpm installed multiple times except if --prefix differs. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): 4.1 and later How reproducible: very Steps to Reproduce: 1. rpm -i <some-rpm> 2. rpm -i --prefix <someplace> <same-rpm> 3. rpm -e --prefix <sameplace> <the-rpm> Actual results: doesn't work Expected results: erases the second package Additional info:
Using --prefix to qualify upgrade/erasure ain't the right thing to do.
So what is the right thing to do?? How do you selectively erase a specific package installed with a specific prefix, if that same package is installed multiple times?