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Multilib might be a hack, but sometimes it is the best solution. One example is when a 32-bit-only app has to run on a system that is booted from 64-bit EFI and thus requires a 64-bit kernel. rpm and Fedora do support multilib on x86_64. That works fine. Packages with arch i686, x86_64 or noarch can be installed, and packages that only differs in arch can be installed side by side. On x686 it isn't possible to install x86_64 packages because it is the wrong arch. Such packages can only be installed with --ignorearch. The arch will however no matter what be ignored when it decides if it is a new package or the package already is installed. The package can thus only be installed with --force and then it is installed as a reinstallation of an existing package and the old package isn't removed but just forgotten. The old package no longer appears in the list of installed packages but all files are left in the filesystem. Example demonstrating the confusing and IMHO incorrect behaviour: # rpm -q kernel kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.i686 # rpm -ihv kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64.rpm Preparing... ########################################### [100%] package kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 is intended for a different architecture package kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 is already installed # rpm -ihv kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64.rpm --force Preparing... ########################################### [100%] package kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 is intended for a different architecture # rpm -ihv ~dev/lars-mac/custom-rpms/kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64.rpm --ignorearch Preparing... ########################################### [100%] package kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 is already installed # rpm -ihv ~dev/lars-mac/custom-rpms/kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64.rpm --ignorearch --force Preparing... ########################################### [100%] 1:kernel ########################################### [100%] # rpm -q kernel kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 # ll /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.1-3.fc16.* -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 4196096 Aug 8 20:47 /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.1-3.fc16.i686 -rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 4234672 Aug 8 20:30 /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 # rpm -qf /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.1-3.fc16.* file /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.1-3.fc16.i686 is not owned by any package kernel-3.0.1-3.fc16.x86_64 # I would expect that arch always was considered a part of envra, even on non-multilib platforms. No matter what, I would expect that rpm kept track of which packages was installed on the system. rpm-4.9.1.1-2.fc16.i686
With --ignorearch and --force type overrides, you essentially liberate rpm from the responsibility of keeping your system sane. What exactly happens with --ignorearch is pretty much undefined behavior.
I agree that it isn't rpm's responsibility to keep the system sane after I have used options for doing crazy stuff. I do however expect more than just undefined behaviour from rpm. I would expect consistent and "you got what you asked for" behaviour.
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Fedora 16 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2013-02-12. Fedora 16 is no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug. If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of Fedora please feel free to reopen this bug against that version. Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.