On Mon, 2004-04-26 at 17:37, Paolo Campanella wrote: > [paolo@modemsza rpm-db-copy]$ file packages.rpm > packages.rpm: data > ============================================== > > The start of the packages.rpm does indeed look different to the rest. So > I suppose I'm now asking for any advice on how to recover data from a > trashed db.1.85 file ;) To answer myself for the benefit of future strugglers, I found the answers to all my problems in Jeff Johnson's subsequent post on a different thread: ============================================================== The primary reason to move from rpm-3.0.x is to avoid catastrophic database loss from "Free list corrupt." The installed package headers are saved with a clever-but-imperfect first fit scheme in the file /var/lib/rpm/packages.rpm. In rpm-4.0.x, the scheme is replaced with a Berkeley DB hash, so any damage has a prayer of being repaired using utilities provided with Sleepycat Berkeley DB. Re-install is the only answer I have for "Freelist corrupt." Note that rpm-4.0.4 can often reconnect the chain of headers. OTOH, I have exactly zero interest in backporting the fix, rpm-3.0.x is dead code, and support for the first-fit rpmdb scheme has been entirely removed in rpm-4.1. ============================================================== So, I got hold of the rpm-4.0.4 source, compiled and installed it to a private directory, and used rpm --rebuilddb --dbpath my_private_dir, which successfully rebuild the database. Thereafter, I had to download the rpm-4.1 source (4.0.4 seemed unable to read the database it had created itself; 4.2 had not source available) and installed that. And so on. _______________________________________________ Rpm-list mailing list Rpm-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/rpm-list
