I am running Linux Mandrake 7.2
I am trying to install something like C++ library and jdk using rpm. But it will say something else is needed first. Then I try to install these pre-required packages, then it will say something else is needed. It keeps going like these, then it will fail.

Has anybody had similar experience?
Thanks.

Sometimes you will run into a pretty nasty prerequisite loop. Really nothing you can do. It happens when installing from source sometimes too. Apt-get (debian) takes care of it pretty nicely.

You should make a list of what is needed..put them all in a temporary directory and then from that directory just issue:

rpm -Uvh *

and it will install the rpms in the order needed. If it doesn't work, then as Jeremy said, you could be in a situation where your RPM database doesnt reflect what is really on the system. In that case... you need to manually determine if you really do have the required files installed. Then you can FORCE the first RPM in the chain to be installed and issue the above command to do the rest of them in the right order.

I have most commonly seen this when you start mixing source installs with RPM installs.

Jeremy and Kevin,

Thanks a lot for your help!

Go Linux!
-suliu