Description of problem: Two slightly different x86_64 systems. After the default install one has a /etc/rpm/macros file containing: %_transaction_color 3 The other does not. What is the _transaction_color, and why would it differ between two mostly similar machines? Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): F8. How reproducible: I don't know. Phil.
Transaction color is a bit mask with 2 bits that determines how dependencies between ELF32 and ELF64 executables and libraries are to be resolved. 1 == ELF32 2 == ELF64 The value should likely be "3" everywhere these days. Why the value differs has to do with how the machines were configured. All versions of rpm since RHL9 (and rpm-4.2.2) have used "3" as the default value for transaction_color for 3+ years.
Anaconda writes it in .. some cases as a workaround to an ancient bug. The difference between those two "mostly similar" systems is that other one is an Intel and the other one is AMD and the output from this differs: $ python -c "import rhpl.arch; print rhpl.arch.canonArch" The macros file with transaction color gets written if the above says x86_64 but not if it's ia32e like reported on Intel x86_64 systems.
Ok, this line can be safely deleted then. Thanks for the info. Phil.