Installing Alien on CentOS 7: Convert .deb to .rpm
alien is a straightforward package converter available in EPEL that handles conversion between .deb, .rpm, Slackware, and other package formats. This is useful when you need to install Debian packages on RPM-based systems.
Prerequisites
You need EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) enabled. On CentOS 7, 8, or Rocky Linux 8+:
sudo dnf install epel-releaseOr if you’re on an older CentOS/RHEL system without dnf:
sudo yum install epel-releaseInstallation
Install alien from EPEL:
sudo dnf install alienVerify the installation:
alien --versionYou should see output like:
alien version 8.95 or newerBasic Usage
Converting a .deb to .rpm
Convert a Debian package to RPM format:
sudo alien -r package.debThe -r flag tells alien to output an RPM file. This generates a .rpm file in your current directory that you can then install with dnf or rpm -i.
Converting with version adjustments
By default, alien may adjust the package version to be RPM-compliant. To maintain the original version number:
sudo alien -r --keep-version package.debInstalling after conversion
After conversion, install the resulting RPM:
sudo dnf install ./package.rpmConverting to other formats
Convert .deb to Slackware .tgz:
alien -t package.debConvert .rpm to .deb (less common but supported):
alien -d package.rpmImportant Considerations
Dependencies: alien converts the package structure but doesn’t resolve all dependencies. If the converted package depends on libraries not available in your RPM repositories, you’ll need to install those separately.
Testing: Always test converted packages in a non-production environment first. The conversion process can sometimes introduce issues, particularly with:
- Systemd service files
- Configuration file locations
- Library paths
Architecture mismatch: Ensure the .deb package matches your system architecture (x86_64, aarch64, etc.). Convert only packages meant for your platform.
Better alternatives: Before converting, check if the software is available directly in RPM format from the vendor or from community repositories like COPR. Native RPM packages are always preferable to converted packages.
Example: Converting a specific package
If you have example-1.0.deb and need it as an RPM:
sudo alien -r example-1.0.deb
# Creates: example-1.0-2.x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install example-1.0-2.x86_64.rpmTroubleshooting
If alien is not found after installation, verify EPEL is properly enabled:
dnf repolist | grep epelIf EPEL doesn’t appear in the list, re-run the EPEL installation and clear your package cache:
sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf install epel-releaseFor detailed help with conversion options:
alien --helpTroubleshooting Common Issues
When encountering problems on Linux systems, follow a systematic approach. Check system logs first using journalctl for systemd-based distributions. Verify service status with systemctl before attempting restarts. For network issues, use ip addr and ss -tulpn to diagnose connectivity problems.
Package management issues often stem from stale caches. Run dnf clean all on Fedora or apt clean on Ubuntu before retrying failed installations. If a package has unmet dependencies, try resolving them with dnf autoremove or apt autoremove.
Related System Commands
These commands are frequently used alongside the tools discussed in this article:
- systemctl status service-name – Check if a service is running
- journalctl -u service-name -f – Follow service logs in real time
- rpm -qi package-name – Query installed package information
- dnf history – View package transaction history
- top or htop – Monitor system resource usage
Quick Verification
After applying the changes described above, verify that everything works as expected. Run the relevant commands to confirm the new configuration is active. Check system logs for any errors or warnings that might indicate problems. If something does not work as expected, review the steps carefully and consult the official documentation for your specific version.