CentOS - Jul 2006 - RPM: any better way to reinstall only certain files?

My former primary boot disk had some bad spots appear awhile back.
Damage, per rpm --verify, seems to be predominately in loss of reference
files in /usr/share/doc and such as that.

Being the type that wastes my own time before wasting that of others, I
did a semi-careful perusal of the rpm man pages. Thought the --files or
some such might offer a way ought. IIUC, nope! Seems that I can't select
specific files. It looks like I could do a new install in a new root
(chrooted) and then copy the files out, but I was already aware of an
apparently easier way I had used years ago, rpm2cpio (easier because I
can use the verify output list, slightly edited and reduced, to select
the desired files.

Thought "Well, it probably can do what I want, I just missed it. Maybe
tutorials, HOWTOs, etc. will give the answer". So, using the TOC of each
of these, I probed in vain (in that vein, it was fruitless but not
painless :-).

http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/drafts/rpm-guide-en/
http://www.rpm.org/max-rpm-snapshot/
http://www.redhat.com/magazine/001nov04/features/betterliving/
http://www.redhat.com/magazine/002dec04/features/betterliving-part2/

I've settled on rpm2cpio unless someone can point me in a better
direction.

TIA
-- 
Bill
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
URL:
<http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/attachments/20060711/81e02b45/attachment-0002.sig>

On 7/11/06, William L. Maltby <BillsCentOS at triad.rr.com>
wrote:
> My former primary boot disk had some bad spots appear awhile back.
> Damage, per rpm --verify, seems to be predominately in loss of reference
> files in /usr/share/doc and such as that.
>
> Being the type that wastes my own time before wasting that of others, I
> did a semi-careful perusal of the rpm man pages. Thought the --files or
> some such might offer a way ought. IIUC, nope! Seems that I can't
select
> specific files. It looks like I could do a new install in a new root
> (chrooted) and then copy the files out, but I was already aware of an
> apparently easier way I had used years ago, rpm2cpio (easier because I
> can use the verify output list, slightly edited and reduced, to select
> the desired files.
>
> Thought "Well, it probably can do what I want, I just missed it. Maybe
> tutorials, HOWTOs, etc. will give the answer". So, using the TOC of
each
> of these, I probed in vain (in that vein, it was fruitless but not
> painless :-).
Depending on the corruption you've got, rpm -Fvh might be what you
want. Freshen may solve some of your dilemma.


-- 
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
George Orwell