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RPM Installation Help


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I have installed Mandriva Linux 2007 on computer. Despite the available software packages lcoated on my computer, i was interested to get some new software from internet but i heard that it seems quite though for me to do that. I have no idea how to do it. Please show me step by step to install a RPM packages. Your help greatly appreciated by me and everyone who use Linux.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

[moved from Everything Linux by spinynorman]

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URPMI is a layer on top of RPM... its not seperate but additive... but the difference is very important for stability and use.

An RPM package contains lists of other RPM's that are needed, including versions...

When you use URPMI iot has all this information + where the RPM's for the dependencies are and it will automatically find and download the right ones.

You can choose to install the RPM's manually using rpm -i <name> BUT it will not find the dependencies whioch is the whole reason for urpmi....

 

As a n00b I'd strongly advise starting off only using urpmi because if you don't then you must track downt he dependencies yourself, depending on the package it might be 5 or 50... or 500.

Almost everything you want will be in the urpmi repository... if its not then the chance is its not a Mandriva RPM...

This means your milage may vary....

If you choose say a KDE program then Suse put KDE in a completely different place to Red Hat and Mandriva and so you may have to do a lot of work by hand afterwards... again this is an advanced sorta thing.. not what you want to be messing with until its in your comfort zone...

 

With everything in linux typing man and the name of the command like man rpm will give you detailed if written in 'geekspeech' instructions....

You need to be root to install RPM's for the CLI (because they need to write to system areas) but please consider using urpmi until your more comfy...

If its a special package and you can't find it in urpmi then its best to ask here first and get detailed instructions for that one :D

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I totally endorse Gowaters words. With the likes of Mandriva there are only rare cases of need to using rpm to install from the console, if any, instead of using Urpmi.

 

If you are a masochist and love making rocks for your back then go ahead and use the console. :D :D :D

 

As a newbie do you want to be guided by the more experienced ?? If the answer is yes then use the method they themselves use which is what Gowater said.

 

Cheers. John.

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Thanks all guys because willing to teach a newbie. I very appreciated all your advises and helps. I hope that GOD will blessed you all. BB. By the way, What is the different between urpmi and rpm. I still not fully understand what you mention here. Your patient is greatly appreciated.

 

Please forgive my stupidness.

Please help me.

 

Thanks.

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Rpm is a basic package manager. It installs\updates\deletes files but only one by one. It doesn't download anything you have to take care of the dependencies.

Urpmi is the command line package manager of Mandriva which is using the rpm command. If you want to install something it automatically downloads and installs the program and the dependicies.

Edited by dexter11
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dexter pretty much has it...rpm is just your basic package manager, without any dependency checking. If you tried to install an RPM and didn't have some other things installed that the program required (libraries, other programs, etc.) then it will just fail and tell you what's missing. With urpmi, these dependencies are automatically detected and, if the package exists in the repositories configured for it, it will download and install any necessary dependencies.

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I feel better understanding of RPM after you guys explanation. Thanks for your help.

 

Hope GOD will blessed u.

Peter,

urpmi is a wrapper OVER the top of rpm....

both can be used from the console or GUI....

functionally it makes no difference....except URPMI will find everything for you and save you a lot of pain....

You can also use for instance kpackage but honestly try at set up urpmi sources and go that way...

As you use it it will become self explanitory and eventually you might need some stuff not in the urpmi repo's but by this time your experience will ease the pain...

 

Regarding console/GUI...in 99% of cases it makes no difference but for the 1% when your upgrading something in X (especailly KDE) things can go weird....

In these rare cases restarting X usually works and if not you can drop to the CLI and urpmi the packages again...

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