Making an RPM Distribution play nicely with ./configure && make && make install packages

[James McDonald]

I use Redhat Fedora Core 1. I have installed apt4rpm and done the usual 
apt-get upgrade etc. So once you get to that stage you then have to 
compile from source to get 'the latest'.

Typically I also install packages that I don't bother to role into an 
rpm but they are required by other components I want to install via rpm 
/ apt-get.

How do you tell apt-get / rpm to either ignore that it can't see the 
package in it's database or update the rpm database with the package 
despite it wasn't installed via rpm?