Build a YUM Repository

Create the workspace

mkdir -p /srv/sow
cd /srv/sow
sow init .
sow repo new pigsty
sow dist new el9 --format rpm -r pigsty

el9 names this RPM package set. You can choose another name; it does not change which operating systems the packages support.

Set membership policy

Edit the generated sow.yml. This example keeps one version per package and architecture and excludes debug and LLVM JIT packages:

schema: sow/v3
architectures: [x86_64, aarch64]
repos:
  pigsty:
    dists:
      el9:
        format: rpm
        limit: 1
        exclude:
          - kind: [debuginfo, debugsource, llvmjit]
targets: {}

Check the configuration:

sow config check

exclude runs before limit. SOW includes noarch packages in every enabled architecture view. Keep only CPU architecture names in architectures.

Add RPMs

sow add /path/to/packages/*.rpm -r pigsty -d el9
sow check -r pigsty

Replace the input path with your RPM directory. add stores accepted packages in the pool, updates membership, and builds the indexes. Review its per-package output: SOW reports excluded files without failing the whole command.

The public tree has this shape:

RPM indexes point back to pool/ through relative paths. Serve or copy the complete pigsty/ tree so clients can download the packages.

Preview over HTTP

Run this in a separate terminal and leave it running:

python3 -m http.server --bind 127.0.0.1 --directory /srv/sow/pigsty 8080

The preview serves only the Repository root and is reachable from the same host. For a persistent service or clients on other hosts, use Serve Repositories.

Configure dnf

On the Linux host running the preview, save this as /etc/yum.repos.d/pigsty.repo. For a remote client, first publish the Repository and substitute its public base URL:

# /etc/yum.repos.d/pigsty.repo
[pigsty-el9]
name=Pigsty EL9
baseurl=http://127.0.0.1:8080/dists/el9/$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=0
repo_gpgcheck=0

Then refresh and query the repository:

sudo dnf --disablerepo='*' --enablerepo=pigsty-el9 makecache --refresh
dnf --disablerepo='*' --enablerepo=pigsty-el9 list available

This example uses unsigned packages and metadata. Follow Sign Your Repository to enable verification. After the preview, remove this source file and stop the Python server.

Publish or export

Use sow publish for a filesystem or R2 target. It uploads package files and metadata in the order clients need. That guide also covers manual delivery to isolated hosts.

Some mirroring tools, including default dnf reposync, reject rpm-md package locations that traverse to the root pool. Export a self-contained RPM leaf when a consumer requires it:

sow export rpm-leaf el9 x86_64 /srv/export/pigsty-el9-x86_64 -r pigsty

The RPM Dist must belong to the current Built Generation. In a mixed Repository, check the export preconditions first.

The destination must be absent or empty. Export copies package files by default. Use --hardlink only on the same filesystem, and keep exported files read-only because they share storage with the source pool.