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.TH "RPMDB" "8" "2026-01-08" "RPM 6.0.1"
.PP
.SH NAME
rpmdb - RPM Database Tool
.PP
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBrpmdb\fR [options] {\fB--initdb\fR|\fB--rebuilddb\fR}
.PP
\fBrpmdb\fR [options] {\fB--verifydb\fR}
.PP
\fBrpmdb\fR [options] {\fB--exportdb\fR|\fB--importdb\fR}
.PP
.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBrpmdb\fR is used for \fBrpm\fR database maintenance operations.\&
.PP
.SH OPERATIONS
\fB--initdb\fR
.RS 4
Create a new database if one doesn'\&t already exist.\& An
existing database is not overwritten.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB--rebuilddb\fR
.RS 4
Rebuild database from the installed package headers.\&
Rebuilding discards any unreadable (corrupt) headers
from the database, but also compacts the database in
case it has grown large over time.\&
.PP
Can also be used to convert between different \fBrpmdb\fR
formats.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB--verifydb\fR
.RS 4
Perform a low-level integrity check on the database.\&
Rarely useful, for system health \fBrpm --verify -a\fR is a far more
meaningful operation.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB--exportdb\fR
.RS 4
Export the database in header-list format, suitable
for transporting to another host or database type.\&
The data is output to standard output.\&
.PP
.RE
\fB--importdb\fR
.RS 4
Imports a database from a header-list format as created
by \fB--exportdb\fR.\& The data is read from standard input.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH OPTIONS
See \fBrpm-common\fR(8) for the options common to all \fBrpm\fR executables.\&
.PP
.SH CONFIGURATION
There are several configurables affecting the rpmdb operations,
but in particular the following (see \fBrpm-config\fR(5) for details):
.PD 0
.IP \(bu 4
\fB%_dbpath\fR
.IP \(bu 4
\fB%_db_backend\fR
.PD
.PP
.SH EXIT STATUS
On success, 0 is returned, a nonzero failure code otherwise.\&
.PP
.SH EXAMPLES
\fBrpmdb --initdb --dbpath /tmp/testdb\fR
.RS 4
Initialize a new database in \fI/tmp/testdb\fR directory.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmdb --rebuilddb\fR
.RS 4
Rebuild the system rpmdb.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmdb --verifydb --root /mnt\fR
.RS 4
Verify the system database of a system image mounted
at \fI/mnt\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmdb --exportdb > /tmp/headers\fR
.RS 4
Export the system database to \fI/tmp/headers\fR file.\&
.PP
.RE
\fBrpmdb --importdb --define "_db_backend ndb" --dbpath /tmp/newdb < /tmp/headers\fR
.RS 4
Import contents of \fI/tmp/headers\fR header list to a (new)
\fBndb\fR-format database in \fI/tmp/newdb\fR.\&
.PP
.RE
.SH OPTIONS
See \fBrpm-common\fR(8) for the options common to all operations.\&
.PP
.SH SEE ALSO
\fBpopt\fR(3), \fBrpm\fR(8), \fBrpm-common\fR(8)
.PP
\fBrpmdb --help\fR - as \fBrpm\fR(8) supports customizing the options via popt
aliases it'\&s impossible to guarantee that what'\&s described in the
manual matches what'\&s available.\&
.PP
\fBhttp://www.\&rpm.\&org/\fR