Description of problem: rpm states "no package requires ..." when the package name is not explicitly stated in the requires: in other packages. Therefore it states that the package is not needed. Removal of the package is prohibited since a part of the package is required by another package. It seems that the requires/provides mechanisms operate differently from the checks done at uninstall. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Versions used: $ rpm -q rpm rpm-4.6.0-0.rc1.8.i386 For the example below: $ rpm -q php-pgsql php-pgsql-5.2.6-5.i386 $ rpm -q postgresql-libs postgresql-libs-8.3.5-1.fc10.i386 How reproducible: Always. Steps to Reproduce: Example: Found a package which is apparently not required by another package. $ rpm -q --whatrequires postgresql-libs no package requires postgresql-libs Try to uninstall it. # rpm -e postgresql-libs error: Failed dependencies: libpq.so.5 is needed by (installed) php-pgsql-5.2.6-5.i386 libpq.so.5 is needed by (installed) redland-1.0.7-2.fc10.i386 Fails, fortunately, while the package is actually required, although not by the name, only by one of the libraries it provides. RPM is aware of these provides/requires link when queried: What does the package postgresql-libs provide? $ rpm -q --provides postgresql-libs libecpg.so.6 libecpg_compat.so.3 libpgtypes.so.3 libpq.so libpq.so.5 postgresql-libs = 8.3.5-1.fc10 postgresql-libs(x86-32) = 8.3.5-1.fc10 Which package provides libpq.so.5? $ rpm -q --whatprovides libpq.so.5 postgresql-libs-8.3.5-1.fc10.i386 What is required by package php-pgsql? $ rpm -q --requires php-pgsql config(php-pgsql) = 5.2.6-5 libc.so.6 libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.0) libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.1.3) libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3) libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.4) libpq.so.5 php-common = 5.2.6-5 php-pdo rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1 rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1 rtld(GNU_HASH) Actual results: $ rpm -q --whatrequires postgresql-libs no package requires postgresql-libs Expected results: $ rpm -q --whatrequires postgresql-libs libpq.so.5 (in postgresql-libs) is needed by (installed) php-pgsql-5.2.6-5.i386 libpq.so.5 (in postgresql-libs) is needed by (installed) redland-1.0.7-2.fc10.i386 The link of the library in question with the actual package name would be greatly appreciated (for both query and uninstall). It is very useful when uninstalling multiple packages by hand. Additional info: None.
FYI: rpm5 has --whatneeds instead of --whatrequires to check __ALL__ the Provides: contained in a package that has a Provides: as a given argument, not just the argument, including file paths, against all other packages that need __ANYTHING__ in a given package. Yes, very useful when uninstalling packages using the rpm CLI. But a simple script wrapper over provides can be done instead. But that's not the version of rpm for which this bugzilla is intended. But it does solve the RFE somewhere in this bugzilla no matter what.
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 142651 ***