In regard to: rpm3 package still exist, devzero2000 said (at 4:53pm on Jun...:

> rpm -qi TIVsm-API
>
> Name        : TIVsm-API                    Relocations: /opt
> Version     : 5.3.0                             Vendor: IBM
> Release     : 0                             Build Date: Wed 08 Dec 2004
> 01:29:20 PM CET
> Install Date: Wed 06 Jun 2007 11:42:51 AM CEST      Build Host:
> darkover.mainz.de.ibm.com
> Group       : Utilities/Archiving           Source RPM:
> TIVsm-5.3.0-0.src.rpm
> Size        : 13934052                         License: Commercial
> Signature   : (none)
> URL         : http://www-3.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/storage-mgr/
> Summary     : the API
> Description :
>                IBM Tivoli Storage Manager API
>
> rpm -q --qf '%{RPMVERSION}\n' TIVsm-API
> 3.0.6

That was built by ibm, and the commercial UNIX vendors are notorious for
sticking with a particular version of some software to maintain backward
compatibility.

This segues nicely into a question that just came up on the NetWorker
(backup software) mailing list.  EMC also packages all their RPMs for
their backup software using RPM 3.0.6, and EMC and IBM aren't the only
ones doing this.

If you try sign an RPM built with 3.0.x with a 4.X.Y version of RPM, the
RPM becomes corrupted.

Would this be something that's easy to fix -- make RPM 5.1.x capable of
signing both modern and ancient RPMs?  It sure would make a lot of
sysadmins lives easier, as they wouldn't have to keep an old copy of RPM
around just to sign packages they get from vendors.

Tim
-- 
Tim Mooney                                        Tim.Mooney@ndsu.edu
Information Technology Services                   (701) 231-1076 (Voice)
Room 242-J6, IACC Building                        (701) 231-8541 (Fax)
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5164