URPMI and newbies

[energymedia]

As many of you are aware by now, from reading my posts, I am definitly a Linux newbie. One of the biggest problems that I have been having, and I am sure many other newbies have had or are having, is installing applications. I have learned how to run configure/make/make install but sometimes what I am doing fails for some reason. Seeing as I do not understand everything that the error message states, I end up getting frustrated and not able to install the app.

 

I have seen references to the command URPMI before but never really understood what it was or does. Fortunately I have seen the light.

 

So what is it? Well, the first line of the MAN page states:

urpmi - rpm wrapper making installs easier for the user

. I have found this to be true.

 

I have been trying unsuccessfully to get my laptop to play DVD's. I have posted to this forum about it and received many replies on how to get it working. Unfortunately, I keep getting errors stating that I do not have this, or I need that. It is enough to drive many new Linux users back to Uncle Bill . Last night, after learning what URPMI is and how it works (www.urpmi.org), I was able to install the necessary packages with no problems. Using the online Easyurpmi tool (http://urpmi.org/easyurpmi/index.php), I was able to update my sources of packages. Then I just went to a shell, grabbed root, and typed

urpmi filename

.

 

I have used this tool to install many applications laast night and have not had any problems with dependencies.

 

I thought that this may be useful to many of you other newbies out there who are having the same types of issues, but are just to embarrased to ask. I have always gone on the premise that

The only stupid question, is the one that is not asked!

If you don't know and you want to, ask in this forum. The posters here are great. They remember that they were once new to Linux too.

 

PS. If anyone would like to add to my explanations, please do so. I haven't had enough coffee yet tis morning so I may have started to ramble a bit.

[Pzatch]

This post should be a 'sticky'

 

 

Energymedia

 

You seem to write quite well. Being a noob to linux my just be giving you a somewhat unique opportunity to add to this forum. If you can, could you add the three or four steps it took to setup your URPMI repositoies and maybe another noob hint or two. Your experience could help others who are a bit shy about asking questions.

 

 

As you have found out the Mandrake Update graphical interface is really just a front end for urpmi and sometimes it doesn't work well. At that point it becomes best to revert to a command line to update the system.

[energymedia]

Thanks for your words of praise. I would love to share what I have done to get the URPMI repositories up and running.

 

First, I went to http://urpmi.org/easyurpmi/index.php and selected the locations that I wished for.

 

Then, I clicked on the "Proceed to Step 3" button which generated the following:

urpmi.addmedia main ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/linu...6/Mandrake/RPMS with ../base/hdlist.cz

urpmi.addmedia contrib ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/linu....2/contrib/i586 with ../../i586/Mandrake/base/hdlist2.cz

urpmi.addmedia plf http://mandrakeusers.com/PLF/mandrake/9.2 with hdlist.cz

urpmi.addmedia --update updates ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/linu...dates/9.2/RPMS/ with ../base/hdlist.cz

 

I then opened a shell and grabbed root (su). At that point, I pasted in the above lines and pressed enter. This added the selections to the updates database. NOTE: one aspect that I found as a result of trial and error, when the web site gives you the code to enter, make sure that you add them individually. I copied all of the given text and found that I ended up with some errors. For Example:

[root@emedialpt002 jgreer]# urpmi.addmedia main ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/linu...6/Mandrake/RPMS with ../base/hdlist.cz

 

If you need to remove all entries that are already in the Update Database as I needed to as I corrupted it while playing around, you would need to type: (This removes everything)

[root@emedialpt002 jgreer]#  urpmi.removemedia -a

 

 

After that, when I wanted to install the libdvdcss package I just typed:

[root@emedialpt002 jgreer]# urpmi libdvdcss

[Scott Thornley]

I wish that I'd had your post when I first switched over to Mandrake 9.2 from Redhat 8

 

In the vein of adding more info - take a look at this, for even more on urmpi

 

http://uug.byu.edu/articles.php?article=63

[liquidzoo]

There is also a great FAQ on urpmi in our FAQ Forum, for those out there that may not have seen it.

[RideGuy]

Another Linux Newbie here.

 

I want to use urpmi for Mandrake 10 RC1.

 

I went to the Easy Urpmi website. Under Step 1) Select Your System, there is no "10.0" under the Mandrake Version pulldown tab. Should I be using "cooker" as my Mandrake Version, or should I be looking for an ftp hosting Mandrake 10.0 RPMs elsewhere?

 

 

Thanks in advance,

RideGuy

[tyme]

10.0 is...what, 2 days old? No ones gotten a chance to setup new repo's for it or build new RPMs, be patient ;) besides, if you have 10.0, you should be in the mandrake club, which has a good number of repo's you can use...

Edited March 5, 2004 by tyme

[RideGuy]

tyme, thanks for your comments.

 

Seeing that RC1 has been out since the middle of February, and the Beta came out middle of January, I thought there might be some packages already put tegether. So I guess what your saying is; they don't start making RPMs until after the official release? Like I said, I'm new to Linux, and I'm not exactly sure how all these things work.

 

As for Mandrake Club, if Mandrake is the distros that I decide to go with, I will probably join. I'm learning alot, and I think that's worth something.

 

 

Going back to my question:

If I want a program that is not on the MDK10 disk, are there an issues with using 9.2 RPMs, including using urpmi to solve dependencies using a 9.2 ftp directory?

 

Also, what's a repo?

 

Thanks,

RideGuy