FreeIPA uses Python ctypes to load `librpm` and run `rpmvercmp()` method:

@total_ordering
class IPAVersion:
    _rpmvercmp_func = None

    @classmethod
    def _rpmvercmp(cls, a, b):
        """Lazy load and call librpm's rpmvercmp
        """
        rpmvercmp_func = cls._rpmvercmp_func
        if rpmvercmp_func is None:
            librpm = ctypes.CDLL(find_library('rpm'))
            rpmvercmp_func = librpm.rpmvercmp
            # int rpmvercmp(const char *a, const char *b)
            rpmvercmp_func.argtypes = [ctypes.c_char_p, ctypes.c_char_p]
            rpmvercmp_func.restype = ctypes.c_int
            cls._rpmvercmp_func = rpmvercmp_func
        return rpmvercmp_func(a, b)


Since this happens in runtime, we should be OK with any ABI that implements the same `rpmvercmp(const char *a, const char *b)` function. If this is not a problem with this ABI change, a rebuild of freeipa package is not needed.

Thanks for the explanation. The new rpm library did not change rpmvercmp(). The prototypes remains "int rpmvercmp(const char * a, const char * b)" and the semantics is preserved. That means freeipa is fine and no rebuild is required.