I just spotted (while checking something else) that none of our x86_64 sl5 
boxes have a openssl097a.i386 package so can't run some i386 code which 
needs those old compatability libs.

I thought it was my error but checking the repos there doesn't seem to be 
a i386 package in the x86_64 tree for this (in the 5[0-2] repos).

Just installing the one from the i386 tree appears to work fine (no 
obvious problematic clashes etc), and lets things linked against 
libssl.so.4 run - well I only did a trivial test.

Was this a deliberate choice or were there problems caused by having it 
present?

I don't really mind; I'm trying quite hard to reduce the number of 
'compat' packages we install (FX: sounds of knashing teeth from my users)

-- 
Jon Peatfield,  Computer Officer,  DAMTP,  University of Cambridge
Mail:  [log in to unmask]     Web:  http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/