How to install glibc.i686 using rpm with dependency resolved

Question

I know that I can use yum to do that. But my problem is a little different.

I want to write a kickstart post installation script so after installation of the OS as a post-installation step the glibc.i686 rpm is downloaded using wget and installed. The main OS being installed is x86_64. Hence I can't select the glibc.i686 package during installaion. Besides I can't use yum in the post-installation script because I think it would be too complicated.

So I thought I get all the dependencies rpms and install them using rpm. But trying to find the dependencies, shows nss-freebl something rpm but when I try to install that package then it refers to glibc.i686 (i.e. we have a circular dependency). If I try to install both of them together in the same rpm command then it shows the list of dependencies.

How can I resolve this?

Solution

As @WarrenYoung mentioned in the comments, on 64-bit distros it's typically the case that you can install both the 32 & 64 bit versions of libraries. Case in point, here's my Fedora 14 system.

Example

Here's my architecture info.

$ getconf LONG_BIT
64

Here's my OS architecture info.

$ uname -a
Linux grinchy 2.6.35.14-106.fc14.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Nov 23 13:07:52 UTC 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Here's what GLIBC architecture libraries I have installed.

$ rpm -q glibc
glibc-2.13-2.i686
glibc-2.13-2.x86_64

Kickstart

You should be able to include the following in your %packages section of your kickstart file to get the package installed.

%packages
...
glibc-*.i686
...

Comments

[Warren Young]

Are you sure the base OS doesn't include the 32-bit glibc? Most "64-bit" Linuxes do include a certain amount of 32-bit pieces to support programs that can't move to 64-bit yet. Since almost everything depends on glibc on a Linux system, at least indirectly, the only way your Linux doesn't include a 32-bit glibc is if it's strictly 64-bit. Which Linux is it?

[user285825]

Yes my OS installation media includes the 32 bit glibc and that is what I am trying to do - install the 32 bit glibc from the source installation media and it is having circular dependencies. The default installation doesn't install those packages.

[user285825]

And my problem is to install the glibc using rpm without having circular dependencies.

[user285825]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, this does not address my problem directly. If I choose the default packages during installation, then it doesn't install the 32bit packages. Moreoever, I am doing automatic installation via kickstart.

[slm]

@user285825 - what exactly doesn't this do for you? When you call these packages out during kickstart you just have to explicitly name them. You can't just say glibc, for example, you have to specify it like this: "glibc-2.13-2.i686", to get the 32-bit version of glibc to install.

[user285825]

Uh I got what you are trying to say. You are trying to say to mention glibc.i686 in the @packages section. In my original problem I mentioned I was trying to install it in the %post section. Great, I think your solution might work. I would try that. Thanks