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Convert + Extract .deb & .rpm on windows

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by kimoppalfens 1 view

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Is there a way to convert between & extract files from *.deb & *.rpm files using a windows machine? Is there a tool available that can handle something like that?

I have a floppy based firewall at home & want to add some programs. But I can't install rpm or debian package mgr on the firewall (space constraints). And I don't really want to mess around with a vmware or a full installation of linux. Just looking for a quick solution.

Kim

6 replies

by pahosler

In short for most programs and rpm or deb file won't work on a windows machine, they are set up to look for certain dependencies, esp rpm. You could use --nodeps on an rpm file to ignore dependencies but the program most likely would not work. Youcan find almost any program in a tar ball, but then you will be looking at compile/compatability issues. GNU for windows will not compile a Linux program, afik, unless you have all the libs,kernel source, etc, for the version you are compiling for. Also you may want to take into consideration that a Linux kernel on a floppy is going to be very tight and may not support or have room for any programs you may want to add to it. On possible solution to that would be to have enough ram in your firewall so you could make a RAM disk that could hold the OS, then you could umount the floppy put another one in with your additional programs and mount it again.

Paul

by kimoppalfens

I don't want to run nor compile the programs on my windows disk. I just want to be able to extract the binaries from a deb or rpm but I would like to be able to use a windows based extraction tool.

As far as your ramdrive suggestion goes, this is exactly the setup I am running. That is also way i can't add rpm or deb files just like that.

by pahosler

Go to this web site:

www.laysi.com/rpmbw

it has an rpm browser and says that it can extract them if you have CPIO. If I knew what you needed exactly I could email or ftp you whatever you need. I run RH 7.0 but I can extract files, that mightnot be compatible with my system, into a directory and then we can agree on a method of transport. :-)

Paul

p.s. RPM files may not work properly when extracted this way because of file dep problems. But we can still give it a go...

by kimoppalfens

Thanks for all the help, if you could give me a website with a port of the cpio tool that would be nice.

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