$ rpm -qpl mysql-4.1.12-3.RHEL4.1.ppc64.rpm | grep mysql_config /usr/bin/mysql_config /usr/lib64/mysql/mysql_config $ rpm -qpl mysql-4.1.12-3.RHEL4.1.ppc.rpm | grep mysql_config /usr/bin/mysql_config /usr/lib/mysql/mysql_config Just like for the "gtk", or similar package with a "*-config" script. Here's a list of packages that do this properly on a standard RHEL4 box: $ rpm -qf /usr/bin/*-config | grep -- -devel apr-devel-0.9.4-24.5 apr-util-devel-0.9.4-21 audiofile-devel-0.2.6-1 libcroco-devel-0.6.0-4 cups-devel-1.1.22-0.rc1.9.10 esound-devel-0.2.35-2 freetype-devel-2.1.9-1 libgpg-error-devel-1.0-1 libart_lgpl-devel-2.3.16-3 libgcrypt-devel-1.2.0-3 gnutls-devel-1.0.20-3.2.2 gnutls-devel-1.0.20-3.2.2 libpng-devel-1.2.7-1.el4.2 libpng-devel-1.2.7-1.el4.2 libusb-devel-0.1.8-3 linc-devel-1.0.3-6 mozilla-nspr-devel-1.7.12-1.4.2 net-snmp-devel-5.1.2-11.EL4.6 openobex-devel-1.0.1-1 ORBit2-devel-2.12.0-3 pcre-devel-4.5-3.2.RHEL4 SDL-devel-1.2.7-8 libxml2-devel-2.6.16-6 libxslt-devel-1.1.11-1
mysql_config needs to be in the base package because it is used for non-devel purposes as well as devel ones. What is the actual problem you are trying to solve?
Get a machine with a multilib environment (x86-64, PPC64) and try to compile something that requires the mysql libraries for 32-bit. The binary will point to the 64-bit version of mysql_config, despite both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions being installed. The program in question was cyrus-sasl using the .spec we ship.
Well, we can't just remove mysql_config without breaking perl, php, ruby, and everything else that expects to use "mysql_config --socket" to find out where the socket is. Arguably they shouldn't be doing that, but it's a mighty widespread meme.
OK, closing bz entry as WONTFIX. I don't say that this isn't an interesting question, but the correct packaging behavior is not immediately apparent.