Repacking applications not fully contained in repository RPMs

English Applications
#1

To go straight to the point: I’ve had multiple issues (most probably my own fault) with my openSUSE installation and since I am a new user who doesn’t know very much Iwant to make a clean install. However, I have etlegacy installed, which requires enemy-territory-data. This is downloaded as a tiny rpm containing a script which in turn downloads about 400 MiB from an ftp server. I want to avoid redownloading all that, but don’t know how to pack it as a rpm. I don’t want to just copy folders because I’m afraid of backuping the problems which I want to get rid of.

In case anyone wonders what my issues are:

  • If I enable autologon, it doesn’t work, even if I configure to not ask for password and other things like selected user when loading the logon screen
  • In energy settings I have configured the power button to ask what to do when pressed, however it just shuts down the computer
  • fglrx doesn’t work properly (render problems)
  • wma decoding doesn’t work in amarok (nor in any other media player, probably). I have installed all the gstreamer codecs and ffmpeg, to no avail

I’m moving from Windows xp (I mantain a dual boot, however it’s at BIOS level since both systems have been installed on independent drives, so the systems don’t interact). My previous experience with linux is very limited, and with openSUSE it’s totally non-existant.
Thanks in advance

#2

Hi
Rather than an rpm, you could use makeself? Else just use an archive utility to compress it into a tarball for copying?

#3

But wouldn’t that mess my package manager? I mean, it would not have the proper dependencies listed. enemy-territory-data is required as dependency by etlegacy

#4

On 2013-05-10 19:56, rogombor wrote:
>
> To go straight to the point: I’ve had multiple issues (most probably my
> own fault) with my openSUSE installation and since I am a new user who
> doesn’t know very much Iwant to make a clean install. However, I have
> etlegacy installed, which requires enemy-territory-data. This is
> downloaded as a tiny rpm containing a script which in turn downloads
> about 400 MiB from an ftp server. I want to avoid redownloading all
> that, but don’t know how to pack it as a rpm. I don’t want to just copy
> folders because I’m afraid of backuping the problems which I want to get
> rid of.

Well, you probably have to backup whatever you downloaded for etlegacy
and its configuration files. Not knowing that program, I can’t tell you
what to backup. It is also possible that after you restore the backup
the program insists on getting all the files again from internet.

> In case anyone wonders what my issues are:

Well, you can try asking here about each issue, one by one :slight_smile:

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

#5

Thank you for your kindness and patience, but my main problem is the fgrlx related one, and I’ve already asked about it in the hardware forum with no responses. Despite my updates, the thread is buried in page two by now. I want to try installing it with no more than the basic installation to see if it works then.
I think a probable workaround would be unpacking the rpm, looking at the script and writing an equivalent one that uses the same files, but packed inside the rpm. The thing is I’d have to learn how to do it.
Cheers (btw, I’m actually a native spanish speaker, I just reply here in English because this forum is in English and it’s the language most people speak here. Are you in forosuse.org?)

#6

The package “enemy-territory-data” copies the script to download the data to /var/adm/update-scripts, where zypper then sees and executes it.
But rpm doesn’t do that. So you could install the enemy-territory-data package manually with rpm to fulfill the dependency but not having to download anything.
You must copy the game data then manually to the expected place, of course. (the data is in /usr/lib/enemy-territory/)
If you then install enemy-territory with YaST or zypper it will find that enemy-territory-data is already installed so it won’t install it (and download the game data) any more.

#7

Thanks wolfi, you’re just awesome lol lol!
Cheers!

#8

On 2013-05-11 00:46, rogombor wrote:
>
> robin_listas;2555801 Wrote:

> Thank you for your kindness and patience, but my main problem is the
> fgrlx related one, and I’ve already asked about it in the hardware forum
> with no responses. Despite my updates, the thread is buried in page two
> by now. I want to try installing it with no more than the basic
> installation to see if it works then.

Sorry, I have very little experience with ATI video problems.

> I think a probable workaround would be unpacking the rpm, looking at
> the script and writing an equivalent one that uses the same files, but
> packed inside the rpm. The thing is I’d have to learn how to do it.

Rpms are not so simple… but I see you got a better answer about that.

> Cheers (btw, I’m actually a native spanish speaker, I just reply here
> in English because this forum is in English and it’s the language most
> people speak here. Are you in forosuse.org?)

Je, como yo :slight_smile:

No, this is is the only forum in which I participate because it has an
nntp <–> http gateway. I do not use a web browser, but thunderbird.
News :slight_smile:

It is explained in the froum FAQ somewhere… here:
openSUSE
Forums FAQ - How do I use NNTP (newsreader) to access these forums?

It is probably an inheritance from Novell. SuSE help and communication
system was based on email lists. Novell used a private nntp forum
instead. At some time I suppose people started to prefer forums as a way
of communication. IIRC, there were two main forums, one at Novell, and
another one externally. Someone made a gateway to interconnect both
systems (hhtp and nntp) used at the Novell side. One day both forums
were joined, and kept the nntp gateway - for which I’m glad. I don’t get
as many gadgets as you, but I can answer more questions and faster. If
you are interested, ask in the support-information area, someone is
bound to know the full story :slight_smile:

As the Spanish speaking forum is not integrated in the openSUSE
infrastructure but is independent and has no such gateway, I don’t
participate. Sorry :-}

(there is a Spanish mail list in which I participate, though)

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

#9

Did a full reinstall, etlegacy worked like a charm with those commands :smiley:
While fglrx is still a headache, and wma doesn’t work, at least I have no logon or energy problems. I can use the free radeon driver for now, and most of my collection is mp3 so no problems :smiley: