[Rule-list] Help needed for distro_analyzer and self dependencies

[Marco Fioretti]

Hello,

I've been working all yesterday to add to the distro_analyzer script
the capability of dealing with alternative dependencies (like "if
smtpdaemon is provided by both postfix and sendmail, consider only
the one preferred by the user"). In dealing with this, I have found
another problem, though: self dependencies, not documented....

Example using the bash rpm:

rpm -q --requires bash
                      (among others)     /bin/bash

rpm -q --whatprovides /bin/bash
                                         bash-2.05a-13

rpm -q --provides bash
                                         bash2  
                                         bash = 2.05a-13

In other words, the package provides (obviously) /bin/bash, but then
firsts pretends itself (WHY?????) and, what's worst, denies that it
provides that same capability (WHY, AGAIN?)...

Any suggestion about how to deal with this? For the script to work, it
has to know when a package is just asking for itself. The only
solution I see is that, when the initial database is generated, it
also includes for each package the output of rpm -q --whatprovides
**AND** of rpm -ql (which lists all files).

This would make the database REALLY HUGE however (rpm -ql bash gives 271
files...)

Do you know any alternative solution? The rpm man page doesn't list
any query option for this (none I recognize as useful, that is)

        TIA,
              Marco Fioretti

-- 
It's always socially unacceptable to be right too soon. -- RAH