RPM Packages installation and usage

Note:

• Normal querying doesnot require a root loogin but for installation and uninstalling a package you need to be logged in as root.
• We can also use regular expressions or wiild-characters with the rpm command.

RPM PACKAGE INSTALLATION/ UNINSTALLATION:

# installing a rpm package with hash printing and in verbose mode

rpm -ivh foobar-1.0-i386.rpm

# to install a package ignoring any dependencies

rpm -ivh --nodeps

# upgrading a package with hash printing and in verbose mode

rpm -Uvh foobar-1.1-i386.rpm

# Upgrade only those which are already installed from an RPM repository

rpm -Fvh *.rpm

# uninstall a package

rpm -e foobar

# uninstall ignoring the dependencies

rpm -e --nodeps foobar

# to force install /uninstall

rpm -ivh --force foobar-1.0-i386.rpm

RPM PACKAGE QUERY

# find all those packages which are installed on your system

rpm -qa | sort | less

rpm -qa | sort > rpmlist

# findout all the files which are installed by a rpm package

rpm -ql foobar

rpm -qpl foobar-1.0-i386.rpm

# search for an installed package

rpm -qa | grep foobar

# search for a specific file in a rpm repository

for i in *.rpm ; do rpm -qpl $i | grep filename && echo $i ; done

# findout to what package does the a directory/file (say) /etc/skel belong to

rpm -qf /etc/skel

rpm -q --whatprovides

# to see what config files are installed by a package

rpm -qc foobar

MISC

# To test walk-through a installtion of a package use

rpm -ivh --test foobar-1.1-i386.rpm

10. Similarly uninstalling a package without considering dependencies, use

# rpm -e --nodeps

11. To force install a package ( same as using "--replacefiles" and "--replacepkgs" together.

It like installing a package with no questions asked :) use it with caution, this option can make some of your existing software unusable or unstable

# rpm -i --force

12. To exclude the documentation for a package while installing, useful incase of minimal stripped-down installation

# rpm -i --excludedocs

13. To include documentation while installing (by default this option is enabled), this option is useful only one has set to exclude documentation in "/etc/rpmrc" or in "~/.rpmrc" or in /usr/lib/rpm/rpmrc"

# rpm -ivh --includedocs

14. To display the debug info while installing, use

When using this option it not neccessary to specify the "-v" verbose option as the debug information provided by the rpm command is verbose by default.

# rpm -ih --test -vv

As already discussed "-ih" combined option tell rpm to do installation with hash printing, and using the "--test" tells the rpm command to only do walkthrough of installation and not to do the actual installation, "-vv" option asks the rpm package to also print the debug information.

15. To upgrade a package (i.e uninstall the previous version and install a newer version), use

# rpm -U -v -h

16. To permit upgrade to an old package version (i.e downgrade), use

# rpm -U -v -h --oldpackage

17. To list all the rpm(s) installed on your system, use

$ rpm -qa

One can pipe the output of the above command to another shell command, e.g.

$ rpm -qa | less

$ rpm -qa | grep "foobar"

$ rpm -qa > installed_rpm.lst

• Use you imagination for more combinations, you may even use wild characters.