Markus Robert Kessler <no_reply@dipl-ing-kessler.de> writes:

On 19 Jan 2026 07:23:39 +1000 Computer Nerd Kev wrote:

Markus Robert Kessler <no_reply@dipl-ing-kessler.de> wrote:

after a 'make install' to some DESTDIR, I took the created 'usr' dir,
chown-ed everything to root:root and verified that the rights are
correct.

Then I created a tar.gz archive out of this 'usr' dir.

From this I took alien to convert to rpm:
alien --target=`arch` -r gnu-mailutils-3.21.tar.gz


All worked, but when trying to install the rpm I get

[1040 root@mga9x64-lb1 /tmp]# rpm -i gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
devel(libgnutls(64bit)) is needed by
gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 devel(libgsasl(64bit)) is needed by
gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 devel(libltdl(64bit)) is needed by
gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 libgsasl.so.7()(64bit) is needed by
gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 libgsasl.so.7(LIBGSASL_1.1)(64bit)
is needed by gnu-
mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64

[...]

Looking at the 'Failed dependencies' message above, this looks as if
the devel packages have to be linked statically, otherwise movemail
and others cannot access them and are asking for them again. Do you
dispose this to be so?

I don?t know RPM well but for most packaging systems, if it says you?re
missing a dependency then it just means you need to install the package containing that dependency.

Certainly within Debian the norm is for executables to be dynamically
linked and the package containing then to have a dependency on the
runtime packages for each shared library. Static executables are rare at
best.

In your case, I thought you were trying to do a local build and install.
So I don?t see why RPM is involved at all.

--
https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:47:29 +0000 Richard Kettlewell wrote:

Markus Robert Kessler <no_reply@dipl-ing-kessler.de> writes:

On 19 Jan 2026 07:23:39 +1000 Computer Nerd Kev wrote:

Markus Robert Kessler <no_reply@dipl-ing-kessler.de> wrote:

after a 'make install' to some DESTDIR, I took the created 'usr' dir,
chown-ed everything to root:root and verified that the rights are
correct.

Then I created a tar.gz archive out of this 'usr' dir.

From this I took alien to convert to rpm:
alien --target=`arch` -r gnu-mailutils-3.21.tar.gz


All worked, but when trying to install the rpm I get

[1040 root@mga9x64-lb1 /tmp]# rpm -i gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
devel(libgnutls(64bit)) is needed by
gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 devel(libgsasl(64bit)) is needed
by gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 devel(libltdl(64bit)) is
needed by gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64 libgsasl.so.7()(64bit)
is needed by gnu-mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64
libgsasl.so.7(LIBGSASL_1.1)(64bit) is needed by gnu-
mailutils-3.21-2.x86_64

[...]

Looking at the 'Failed dependencies' message above, this looks as if
the devel packages have to be linked statically, otherwise movemail and
others cannot access them and are asking for them again. Do you
dispose this to be so?

I don?t know RPM well but for most packaging systems, if it says you?re missing a dependency then it just means you need to install the package containing that dependency.

Certainly within Debian the norm is for executables to be dynamically
linked and the package containing then to have a dependency on the
runtime packages for each shared library. Static executables are rare at best.

In your case, I thought you were trying to do a local build and install.
So I don?t see why RPM is involved at all.

By exporting to some DESTDIR, then create a tar.gz / slackware install archive, and then convert this into a deb or rpm with the help of alien conversion tool, you have full control over the location of the files
(derived from make install), and this guarantees that nothing is
overwritten by accident. Also, every install is tracked.

Meaning, same as make install directly, but with full control over it

--
Please reply to group only.
For private email please use http://www.dipl-ing-kessler.de/email.htm

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)