[CentOS] How to query the package owning the file? (no packahe manger installed)

Prasad Pillarisetti wrote:
> Guys recently I had this question asked in a technical interview.
>  
> How do I find out the package owning a particular file, when no package 
> managers are installed?

If it was a system using deb packages, you could go to /var/lib/deb and 
search there I think.
>  
> I am assuimg SRPMs are used to install the software?

rpm is not the only packaging system available. Is the question generic 
or related to a particular flavour of Unix/Linux?
>  
> Is this actually possible? Install the Linux OS without a package manager?

Linux is a kernel. If floppy based Linux distributions are anything to 
go by, I would say yes.
>  
> I know "rpm -qf filename" gives the package owning the file.
> But how to get the package name when I don't have any package manager?

Depends on the packaging system. Never tried looking inside /var/lib/rpm 
files...
>  
> Maybe this was a question to rattle me?

Or the interviewer is very savvy.