diff -urp rpm-4.2.orig/lib/fsm.c rpm-4.2/lib/fsm.c
--- rpm-4.2.orig/lib/fsm.c	2003-03-03 19:38:32 +0000
+++ rpm-4.2/lib/fsm.c	2011-07-25 01:31:24 +0000
@@ -1990,26 +1990,54 @@ if (!(fsm->mapFlags & CPIO_ALL_HARDLINKS
 	/*@notreached@*/ break;
 
     case FSM_UNLINK:
-	rc = Unlink(fsm->path);
+	{
+	    struct stat stb;
+	    int saved_errno;
+	    int saved_rc = lstat(fsm->path, &stb);
+	    if (!saved_rc && !S_ISLNK(stb.st_mode))
+		saved_rc = chmod(fsm->path, 0);
+	    saved_errno = errno;
+	    if (saved_rc && saved_errno == ENOENT)
+		saved_rc = 0;
+	    rc = Unlink(fsm->path);
+	    if (!rc && saved_rc) {
+		rc = saved_rc;
+		errno = saved_errno;
+	    }
+	}
 	if (_fsm_debug && (stage & FSM_SYSCALL))
 	    rpmMessage(RPMMESS_DEBUG, " %8s (%s) %s\n", cur,
 		fsm->path, (rc < 0 ? strerror(errno) : ""));
 	if (rc < 0)	rc = CPIOERR_UNLINK_FAILED;
 	break;
     case FSM_RENAME:
-	rc = Rename(fsm->opath, fsm->path);
+	{
+	    struct stat stb;
+	    int saved_errno;
+	    int saved_rc = lstat(fsm->path, &stb);
+	    if (!saved_rc && !S_ISLNK(stb.st_mode))
+		saved_rc = chmod(fsm->path, 0);
+	    saved_errno = errno;
+	    if (saved_rc && saved_errno == ENOENT)
+		saved_rc = 0;
+	    rc = Rename(fsm->opath, fsm->path);
 #if defined(ETXTBSY)
-	if (rc && errno == ETXTBSY) {
-	    char * path = alloca(strlen(fsm->path) + sizeof("-RPMDELETE"));
-	    (void) stpcpy( stpcpy(path, fsm->path), "-RPMDELETE");
-	    /*
-	     * XXX HP-UX (and other os'es) don't permit rename to busy
-	     * XXX files.
-	     */
-	    rc = Rename(fsm->path, path);
-	    if (!rc) rc = Rename(fsm->opath, fsm->path);
-	}
+	    if (rc && errno == ETXTBSY) {
+		char * path = alloca(strlen(fsm->path) + sizeof("-RPMDELETE"));
+		(void) stpcpy( stpcpy(path, fsm->path), "-RPMDELETE");
+		/*
+		* XXX HP-UX (and other os'es) don't permit rename to busy
+		* XXX files.
+		*/
+		rc = Rename(fsm->path, path);
+		if (!rc) rc = Rename(fsm->opath, fsm->path);
+	    }
 #endif
+	    if (!rc && saved_rc) {
+		rc = saved_rc;
+		errno = saved_errno;
+	    }
+	}
 	if (_fsm_debug && (stage & FSM_SYSCALL))
 	    rpmMessage(RPMMESS_DEBUG, " %8s (%s, %s) %s\n", cur,
 		fsm->opath, fsm->path, (rc < 0 ? strerror(errno) : ""));