The build section in the spec file serve double duty. These section are used for building the main package as well as subpackages. This is one reason why there are so many options on the %setup macro.

The %setup macro allows for selectively unpacking the sources, rather than the default option of unpacking all the sources. For example, the following %setup macro definition gives rpmbuild specific instructions for unpacking one source file:

%setup –D- T –a 1

In this example, the –D option disables the automatic deletion of the directory where the sources will be unpacked. This means any previous contents of this directory, perhaps for other subpackages, will be left alone. The –T option disables the automatic unpacking of the source files, and the –a 1 option specifies to only unpack the first source file. You may need to use options like these when working with subpackages. Though, in most cases, subpackages are just means to partition the package files into separate packages. In cases like this, you will likely not need any of these special %setup options.

Cross Reference

Chapter 9, Working with Spec Files covers the %setup macro and lists the available options.