I’ve been playing with rpm files at work recently. They are basically standardized Linux installer packages. There is no Apache produced rpm for Apache solr, so I decided to make my own. It’s based on the install script that they provide, but rpm files offer a lot of advantages over install scripts, even if they can’t offer the same level of customizable options. The two biggest advantages of using rpms to install are the ease of upgrading, and the ease of uninstalling.
I’ve made my project available on GitHub at github.com/sagevoice/solr-rpm. It is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, the same as solr. Eventually I hope to have it accepted as an official part of the solr product, but for now I still have a few little bugs to fix.
Please check it out if you’re a Linux or solr enthusiast, or if you want to see a sample of my work.