View source for Build rpm packages with the rpmbuild command

This article is about how to [[build rpm packages]] with the rpmbuild command and a SPEC file. The example is based on SuSE 11.3 x86_64. However, other distributions should work same or similar. In this article, we will create a program that outputs "hello world", add a makefile to [[build]] it, and create a SPEC file to package the software as an RPM file.

= Dependencies =
First [[install]] the rpmbuild [[package]]. To do [[open a console]] and enter
 [[yast]] -i rpm-build

= The program =
Here is how we create our program, hello world:
<pre>
cd
mkdir hello-1.0
cd hello-1.0
cat >main.c <<EOF
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
  printf("hello world");
}
EOF
</pre>

= The Makefile =
To [[build]] our program, we need a [[makefile]]. Here is how we create it:
<pre>
cat >Makefile <<EOF
all:hello

hello: main.c
        gcc main.c -o hello

install: hello
        mkdir -p \${prefix}/usr/local/bin
        cp hello \${prefix}/usr/local/bin
EOF
sed -i "s/        /\t/g" Makefile 
</pre>

= The SPEC file =
The SPEC file is needed to create an RPM package out of your software. It will be named hello.spec and reside in the folder /root/hello-1.0. Create it like this:
<pre>
cat >hello.spec<<EOF
Summary: hello greets the world
Name: hello
Version: 1.0
Release: 1
License: GPL
Group: Applications/Tutorials
Source: hello.tar.gz
URL: http://www.staerk.de/thorsten/
Distribution: SUSE Linux
Vendor: -
Packager: Thorsten Staerk

%description
hello greets the world

%prep
%setup

%build
make 

%install
make install prefix=\$RPM_BUILD_ROOT

%files 
%defattr(-, root, root)
"/usr/local/bin/hello"
EOF
</pre>
'''''License''''' is a free-text field. You can enter what you want. Same goes for '''''Group'''''. '''''Source''''' is the file that will be stored in /usr/src/packages/SOURCES.

= Build the rpm =
Now we have the SPEC file and the software. First we store the source in the "appropriate" place:
 cd
 tar cvzf hello.tar.gz hello-1.0
 cp hello.tar.gz /usr/src/packages/SOURCES
Then, build it with the command 
 rpmbuild -ba hello-1.0/hello.spec
You will find your ready RPM under /usr/src/packages/RPMS.

= Test the rpm =
* let's see if the RPM really exists
 # ll /usr/src/packages/RPMS/x86_64/
 total 8
 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4856 Feb 13 17:03 hello-1.0-1.x86_64.rpm
* let's install it
 # rpm -ivh /usr/src/packages/RPMS/x86_64/hello-1.0-1.x86_64.rpm
 Preparing...                ########################################### [100%]
    1:hello                  ########################################### [100%]
* list what files it contains
 # rpm -ql hello
 /usr/local/bin/hello
* find out if it remembers the information we gave it
 # rpm -qi hello
 Name        : hello                        Relocations: (not relocatable)
 Version     : 1.0                               Vendor: -
 Release     : 1                             Build Date: Sun Feb 13 17:03:57 2011
 Install Date: Sun Feb 13 17:21:42 2011         Build Host: tweedleburg.site
 Group       : Applications/Tutorials        Source RPM: hello-1.0-1.src.rpm
 Size        : 11847                            License: GPL
 Signature   : (none)
 Packager    : Thorsten Staerk
 URL         : http://www.staerk.de/thorsten/
 Summary     : hello greets the world
 Description :
 hello greets the world
 Distribution: SUSE Linux
* let's see if we can remove it
 # ll /usr/local/bin/hello 
 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 11847 Feb 13 17:03 /usr/local/bin/hello
 # rpm -e hello
 # ll /usr/local/bin/hello 
 ls: cannot access /usr/local/bin/hello: No such file or directory
* yes we can :)

= Clean up =
To clean up, run
 rm /usr/src/packages/SOURCES/hello.tar.gz
 rm -rf /usr/src/packages/BUILD/hello-1.0

= See also =
* http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/rpm-rebuild-unknown-option-348748/
* http://www.rpm.org/max-rpm/s1-rpm-build-creating-spec-file.html
* http://www.ceylonlinux.com/pdf/rpm_howto.pdf
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/A_Short_RPM_Tutorial