yum (with RPM repositories) on Debian/Ubuntu

[Guy K. Kloss]

Hi,

don't start screaming, I'm trying to not be mad. I know Debian/Ubuntu
use APT, and I'm fully aware of its benefits.

Anyway, I prefer much Debian based distros over RPM based ones.
Particularly, as the I've had some bad experiences with hugely outdated
Python versions on CentOS. BTW, I'm talking server here, not desktop
(Fedora).

So, my intention is to set up a server (on a VM), preferably running
Debian Linux. But I'll need to install Grid Computing services on it,
which are by virtue of our environment packaged in the VDT or OSG
repositories, and are meant to "ride" on top of the distribution setup.
Due to compatibility reasons I don't want to divert from VDT or OSG as
well, as Grid stuff can be a royal PITA in itself to get right.

So the VDT/OSG stuff can be retrieved through a specifically available
YUM repository for that purpose. I've seen that Debian/Ubuntu come with
packages for RPM and YUM as well. So here are my questions:

* Has anybody ever used YUM on Debian/Ubuntu?

* Does it run something like alien to install them into the Debian
packaging system, or does it maintain a "parallel infrastructure"?

* Are there any pitfalls (besides the obvious) to be aware of and to
avoid?

Guy

[Robin Paulson]

Post by Guy K. Kloss
Anyway, I prefer much Debian based distros over RPM based ones.
Particularly, as the I've had some bad experiences with hugely
outdated
Python versions on CentOS. BTW, I'm talking server here, not desktop

i'd suggest that's more to do with choices of the OS developers and
maintainers than .rpm vs .deb per se, but anyway

Post by Guy K. Kloss
So the VDT/OSG stuff can be retrieved through a specifically
available
YUM repository for that purpose. I've seen that Debian/Ubuntu come with
* Has anybody ever used YUM on Debian/Ubuntu?
* Does it run something like alien to install them into the Debian
packaging system, or does it maintain a "parallel infrastructure"?

looks like yum/rpm runs a parallel infrastructure

although alien is available
http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/alien

i'd take the alien route myself, being very careful. possibly with some
cron scripting to check for updates and generate and install new .deb
packages

from http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/rpm
"On Debian and derived systems it is recommended to use "alien" to
convert RPM packages into .deb format instead of bypassing the Debian
package management system by installing them directly with rpm."

Post by Guy K. Kloss
* Are there any pitfalls (besides the obvious) to be aware of and to
avoid?

beyond total system fubar or dependency hell? no, not really

have you tried building the .deb packages from source? that would seem
an easier and less painful route, then you could also host your own .deb
repo for others who may want to do the same