[Fedora-packaging] alternatives --force (removing an old init script)

[Rex Dieter]

On 03/26/2012 08:05 AM, Ricardo Rocha wrote:
> (resending after subscribing to the list)
>
> Hi all.
>
> The lcgdm packages are using alternatives, as several flavors are
> provided - mysql, postgresql, ... backends.
>
> While trying to provide an upgrade path to some of our users taking
> legacy packages - as in from other repositories, not fedora - by using
> obsoletes/provides i've bumped into an issue with the upgrade of the
> init scripts. The old packages are not using alternatives, so the
> init.d script is an actual file, not a symlink. While upgrading to the
> new fedora package (which would obsolete/provide the old ones), the
> old init.d script is left there, as it's a real file. This breaks the
> service as the daemon binaries are now (as they should) in /usr/sbin -
> they used to go in /usr/bin.
>
> Debian seems to provide an option for these cases:
> # man update-alternatives
> """
> If some real file is installed where an alternative link has to be
> installed, it is kept unless --force is used.
> """
>
> but i can't find anything similar in Fedora. Is there a solution other
> than documenting that people should remove the old package and install
> the new one in two steps?

Why not just test if the target is a symlink or not prior to the 
update-alternatives call (and remove or rename it as you see fit, so it 
no longer would interfere)?

-- rex