.spec file is creating an empty .rpm

Question

I am trying to create an RPM to just unzip a tar, change some permissions, and then echo something depending on a process. Here is the .spec file in question.

Summary: Linux agent V.1
Name: Agent
Version: 1.0
Release: 1
License: GPL
Source: Agent.tar.gz
Vendor: test
Packager: test


%description
Test Linux agent

%prep
if ps aux | grep "[u]cx"; then
  pkill -f ucx
else
  echo "Current agent is not running."
fi
%setup -n Agent
%install
cp -r /root/rpmbuild/BUILD/Agent /local/0/opt
cd /local/0/opt/Agent
chown -R root.root *
cd bin/
chown root.root test1 test2
chmod 775 test1 test2
chmod +s  test1 test2
if ps aux | grep "[u]cy"; then
  echo "managerup"
else
  echo "manager down"
fi
%files
%clean
rm -rf /root/rpmbuild/BUILD/Agent

When building, the .spec file builds cleanly and creates an rpm. It also runs the commands and I get the relevant files in /local/0/opt. The build command in question is rpmbuild -ba agent.spec. I have tried doing it in verbose mode and it's not really giving me an error either.

However, the .rpm file generated is empty and doesn't actually do anything. I think this is a problem with the .spec file. However as the output is not giving me an error at all I am not sure what the problem is.

I have been following http://www.rpm.org/max-rpm/s1-rpm-build-creating-spec-file.html

I believe the problem is the %files section. I want it to just deploy the tar into local/0/opt, but I am getting confused on where to declare the install directory and where to declare what I want in the package.

Matt Schuchard Matt Schuchard · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-14T12:31:47

You need to add /local/0/opt to your %files section

%files
/local/0/opt

That instructs the rpm build process on where to find files it should package at the end.

You also need to install and manipulate your files relative to your rpm buildroot inside %install

%install
mkdir -p %{buildroot}/local/0
cp -r /root/rpmbuild/BUILD/Agent %{buildroot}/local/0/opt
cd %{buildroot}/local/0/opt/Agent

since the rpm build process will look inside there for files to package.

You might want to clean up that spec file some, including putting %clean above %files and moving %install actions inside %build.

.spec file is creating an empty .rpm

1 Answers