You need the following utilities to run rpmlint: o python 1.5.2 or better o python rpm support o find and xargs o objdump o file o cpio and the following programs to install it: o python 1.5.2 or better o sed You can change the default policy by calling make install with a POLICY argument like that: make install POLICY=mdk8.2 The policy is defined in the load_policy function in the Config.py file. This way, we can manage sets of exceptions.