How to Download and Install RPM Packages on Linux
RPM is an acronym for Red Hat Package Manager, which is an open packaging system for Linux and UNIX systems. It can install, uninstall, update, query, and verify packages that use the .rpm file format. However, it cannot manage dependency resolution like YUM or DNF. RPM is the baseline package format of the Linux Standard Base.
download redhat rpm
RPM is a useful tool for managing software on Linux systems, especially those based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), CentOS, Fedora, and other derivatives. In this article, you will learn how to download and install RPM packages on Linux using various methods.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following:
A user account with sudo privileges
Access to a terminal window / command line
RPM, YUM, or DNF package managers (all included by default)
How to Download RPM Packages
Using a web browser
The easiest way to download an RPM package is to use a web browser. You can find many websites that offer software in RPM format for Linux users. For example, you can download Slack from its official website. Just click on the download button and choose your Linux distribution.
The downloaded file will have a .rpm extension and will be saved in your default download location. You can also choose a different location if you want.
Using wget
If you don't have access to a web browser or you prefer using the command line, you can also download an RPM package using wget, which is a tool for retrieving files from web servers.
download redhat rpm packages manually
download redhat rpm from customer portal
download redhat rpm for docker
download redhat rpm for openshift
download redhat rpm for podman
download redhat rpm server iso
download redhat rpm universal base image
download redhat rpm cloud image
download redhat rpm vmware image
download redhat rpm virtual guest image
download redhat rpm bare metal image
download redhat rpm latest version
download redhat rpm x86_64
download redhat rpm arm 64
download redhat rpm base image
download redhat rpm minimal image
download redhat rpm micro image
download redhat rpm init image
download redhat rpm ansible automation platform
download redhat rpm advanced cluster security for kubernetes
download redhat rpm amq broker
download redhat rpm amq clients
download redhat rpm amq interconnect
download redhat rpm amq online
download redhat rpm amq streams
download redhat rpm build of eclipse vert.x
download redhat rpm build of node.js
download redhat rpm build of openjdk
download redhat rpm build of optaplanner
download redhat rpm build of quarkus
download redhat rpm build of thorntail
download redhat rpm ceph storage
download redhat rpm certificate system
download redhat rpm cloudforms
download redhat rpm decision manager
download redhat rpm developer studio
download redhat rpm developer tools
download redhat rpm directory server
download redhat rpm enterprise linux
download redhat rpm enterprise mrg grid
download redhat rpm enterprise mrg messaging
download redhat rpm enterprise mrg realtime
download redhat rpm fuse
download redhat rpm insights
download redhat rpm integration
download redhat rpm jboss eap
download redhat rpm jboss web server
download redhat rpm openshift container platform
download redhat rpm openshift service mesh
To use wget, you need to know the URL of the file you want to download. You can find this by right-clicking on the download link in your web browser and choosing Copy link address or Copy link location.
Then, open a terminal window and use .0-0.1.fc21.x86_64.rpm
This will download the file to your current working directory. You can also specify a different location by using the -O option, followed by the path and filename you want to use. wget -O /home/user/Downloads/slack.rpm
How to Install RPM Packages
Using the RPM command
Once you have downloaded an RPM package, you can install it using the rpm command, which is the core tool for managing RPM packages on Linux.
To install an RPM package, you need to use the -i option, followed by the name of the file. For example, to install Slack, you can use: sudo rpm -i slack.rpm
This will install the package and its dependencies, if any. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
If you want to see more information about the installation process, you can use the -v option for verbose output, or the -h option for a progress bar.
Using YUM or DNF
Another way to install an RPM package is to use yum or dnf, which are higher-level package managers that can handle dependency resolution and other features. Yum is used on RHEL and CentOS systems, while dnf is used on Fedora systems.
To install an RPM package using yum or dnf, you need to use the localinstall option, followed by the name of the file. For example, to install Slack, you can use: sudo yum localinstall slack.rpm
or sudo dnf localinstall slack.rpm
This will install the package and its dependencies, if any. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
If you want to see more information about the installation process, you can use the -v option for verbose output, or the -y option to automatically answer yes to any prompts.
How to Remove RPM Packages
Using the RPM command
If you want to uninstall an RPM package, you can use the rpm command with the -e option, followed by the name of the package. For example, to remove Slack, you can use: sudo rpm -e slack
This will remove the package and its dependencies, if any. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
If you want to see more information about the removal process, you can use the -v option for verbose output.
Using YUM or DNF
You can also uninstall an RPM package using yum or dnf with the remove option, followed by the name of the package. For example, to remove Slack, you can use: sudo yum remove slack
or sudo dnf remove slack
This will remove the package and its dependencies, if any. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
If you want to see more information about the removal process, you can use the -v option for verbose output, or the -y option to automatically answer yes to any prompts.
How to Query RPM Packages
Using the RPM command
If you want to query information about an RPM package, you can use the rpm command with various options. For example:
To query information about an installed package, use the -q option followed by the name of the package. For example: rpm -q slack
This will display information such as version number, release number, architecture, and installation date.
To query information about a downloaded file, use the -qp option followed by the name of the file. For example: rpm -qp slack.rpm
This will display information such as version number, release number, architecture, and summary.
To list all files in an installed package, use the -ql option followed by the name of the package. For example: rpm -ql slack
This will display all files and directories that belong to the package.
To list all files in a downloaded file, use the -qpl option followed by the name of the file. For example: rpm -qpl slack.rpm
This will display all files and directories that are contained in the file.
To display detailed information about an installed package, use the -qi option followed by the name of the package. For example: rpm -qi slack
This will display information such as name, version, release, architecture, summary, description, license, URL, source RPM, build date, install date, vendor, packager, group, size, etc.
To display detailed information about a downloaded file, use the -qpi option followed by the name of the file. For example: rpm -qpi slack.rpm
This will display the same information as above.
To verify an installed package, use the -V option followed by the name of the package. For example: rpm -V slack
This will check the package for any missing files, modified files, or other discrepancies. It will display a code for each file that indicates its status. For example: S.5....T. c /etc/slack.conf
This means that the file has a different size (S), MD5 checksum (5), and modification time (T) than expected.
To verify a downloaded file, use the -Vp option followed by the name of the file. For example: rpm -Vp slack.rpm
This will perform the same verification as above.
Using YUM or DNF
You can also query information about an RPM package using yum or dnf with various options. For example:
To list all available packages in the repositories, use the list option. For example: yum list
or dnf list
This will display the name, version, release, and repository of each package.
To list all installed packages on your system, use the list installed option. For example: yum list installed
or dnf list installed
This will display the same information as above for each installed package.
To display information about a specific package, use the info option followed by the name of the package. For example: yum info slack
or dnf info slack
This will display information such as name, version, release, architecture, summary, description, license, URL, source RPM, build date, install date, vendor, packager, group, size, etc.
To display information about a specific file in a package, use the provides option followed by the name of the file. For example: yum provides /usr/bin/slack
or dnf provides /usr/bin/slack
This will display information such as name, version, release, architecture, and repository of the package that provides the file.
How to Update RPM Packages
Using YUM or DNF
The easiest way to update an RPM package is to use yum or dnf with the update option. This will check for any available updates in the repositories and install them automatically.
To update all packages on your system, use: sudo yum update
or sudo dnf update
This will update all packages and their dependencies to their latest versions. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
If you want to see more information about the update process, you can use the -v option for verbose output, or the -y option to automatically answer yes to any prompts.
To update a specific package, use the update option followed by the name of the package. For example: sudo yum update slack
or sudo dnf update slack
This will update the package and its dependencies to their latest versions. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
How to Verify RPM Packages
Using the RPM command
If you want to verify the integrity and authenticity of an RPM package, you can use the rpm command with the --checksig option, followed by the name of the file. For example: rpm --checksig slack.rpm
This will check the signature and digest of the file and display the result. For example: slack.rpm: rsa sha1 (md5) pgp md5 OK
This means that the file has a valid RSA, SHA1, MD5, and PGP signature and digest.
If you want to see more information about the signature and digest, you can use the -v option for verbose output. For example: rpm -v --checksig slack.rpm
This will display information such as key ID, fingerprint, algorithm, etc.
How to List Installed RPM Packages
Using the RPM command
If you want to list all installed RPM packages on your system, you can use the rpm command with the -qa option. For example: rpm -qa
This will display the name, version, and release of each installed package.
If you want to sort the list by installation date, you can use the --last option. For example: rpm -qa --last
This will display the same information as above, but with an additional column for installation date.
Using YUM or DNF
You can also list all installed RPM packages on your system using yum or dnf with the list installed option. For example: yum list installed
or dnf list installed
This will display the name, version, release, and repository of each installed package.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned how to download and install RPM packages on Linux using various methods. You also learned how to remove, query, update, verify, and list RPM packages on your system. RPM is a powerful tool for managing software on Linux systems, but it has some limitations, such as dependency resolution and compatibility issues. Therefore, it is recommended to use higher-level package managers like YUM or DNF whenever possible. They can handle most of the tasks that RPM can do, and more.
Here are some tips and best practices for using RPM packages on Linux:
Always check the signature and digest of an RPM package before installing it to ensure its integrity and authenticity.
Always backup your system before installing or updating any RPM package to avoid any potential problems or conflicts.
Always use sudo or root privileges when installing or removing any RPM package to avoid any permission errors or issues.
Always read the documentation and instructions of an RPM package before installing it to understand its features and requirements.
Always keep your system updated with the latest versions of RPM packages to ensure security and stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between RPM and DEB?
A: RPM and DEB are two different packaging systems for Linux systems. RPM is used by Red Hat-based distributions like RHEL, CentOS, Fedora, etc., while DEB is used by Debian-based distributions like Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, etc. They have different file formats, commands, tools, and features.
Q: How can I convert an RPM package to a DEB package or vice versa?
A: There are some tools that can convert an RPM package to a DEB package or vice versa, such as alien, rpm2cpio, cpio, etc. However, they are not always reliable or compatible, and they may cause some problems or errors. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them unless you know what you are doing.
Q: How can I install an RPM package from a remote repository?
A: You can install an RPM package from a remote repository by using yum or dnf with the install option, followed by the URL of the file. For example: sudo yum install
or sudo dnf install
This will download and install the package and its dependencies, if any. You may need to enter your password for sudo authentication.
Q: How can I create my own RPM package?
A: You can create your own RPM package by using the rpmbuild tool, which is part of the RPM package manager. You need to have a spec file, which is a text file that defines the metadata and instructions for building the package. You also need to have the source code or binaries of the software you want to package. For more details, you can refer to the RPM Packaging Guide.
Q: How can I extract files from an RPM package without installing it?
A: You can extract files from an RPM package without installing it by using the rpm2cpio tool, which converts an RPM package to a cpio archive, and then using the cpio tool, which extracts files from a cpio archive. For example: rpm2cpio slack.rpm cpio -idmv
This will extract all files from the slack.rpm package to the current directory.
44f88ac181