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rpm command like apt-get & yum install

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J

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Jul 31, 2006, 10:57:01 AM7/31/06
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Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

Chris

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Jul 31, 2006, 11:26:48 AM7/31/06
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J wrote:

It depends on your distro. For Mandriva there's urpmi.

Jim

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Jul 31, 2006, 11:54:26 AM7/31/06
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J wrote:

I keep a local repository of rpm packages (backed up on DVD) and have a YaST
pointer to it. Along with Alien I can install pretty much any Linux binary
(and with WinE a whole slew of Win32 binaries, should I ever need them -
also kept in a local repository). System is SuSE 9.2.
--
When all else fails...
Use a hammer.

http://www.dotware.co.uk

Some people are like Slinkies;
They serve no particular purpose,
But they bring a smile to your face
When you push them down the stairs.

Michael Heiming

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Jul 31, 2006, 12:08:18 PM7/31/06
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In comp.os.linux.misc J <jason.b...@membersunited.org>:

What distro are you running?

Why would yum and friends exist if rpm could do it on its own?

What is wrong with yum?

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'
#bofh excuse 96: Vendor no longer supports the product

J

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Jul 31, 2006, 12:14:52 PM7/31/06
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It's RHEL 4. Nothing is wrong with yum, but given that apt is so fluid
in doing this, I thought 'surely rpm must have something similar'. So
I checked the man pages, found nothing, and then came here.

Chris Davies

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Jul 31, 2006, 12:08:29 PM7/31/06
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There's an apt frontend to rpm. Is that sufficient?
Chris

Allen Kistler

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Jul 31, 2006, 1:37:41 PM7/31/06
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From the man page on rpm:

rpm can act as an FTP and/or HTTP client so that packages can be
queried or installed from the internet. Package files for install,
upgrade, and query operations may be specified as an ftp or http style URL.

Amadeus W. M.

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Jul 31, 2006, 2:23:18 PM7/31/06
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I can't believe the answers you got. Yes, rpm can download and
install a package, provided you know the url and the path:

rpm http://some.repository.com/path/to/package.rpm

Try for instance to install Adobe's acrobat reader (big!):

rpm http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/7x/7.0/enu/AdobeReader_enu-7.0.0-2.i386.rpm

That will download and install that package only, if all
dependencies are met.

Rpm is the original, low level package manager. As such, it does
not have any built-in intelligence about solving dependencies.
Higher level programs like yum or apt run on top of rpm, and are
able to search for a package and solve the dependencies. These
ultimately still call rpm, for installation proper.

Of course, if you know the exact location, and you don't need
any other dependencies (or you know exactly which ones), rpm
is faster than yum or apt. Most of the time though, you WILL need
yum or apt.

Michael Heiming

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:20:28 PM7/31/06
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In comp.os.linux.misc J <jason.b...@membersunited.org>:

> Michael Heiming wrote:
>> In comp.os.linux.misc J <jason.b...@membersunited.org>:

>> > Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>> > rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>> > to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>> > using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

>> What distro are you running?

>> Why would yum and friends exist if rpm could do it on its own?

>> What is wrong with yum?

> It's RHEL 4. Nothing is wrong with yum, but given that apt is so fluid
> in doing this, I thought 'surely rpm must have something similar'. So
> I checked the man pages, found nothing, and then came here.

There is an apt for rpm frontend, dunno if it works with RHEL 4,
though yum works just great with it. And it's much faster then
the yum version targeted at RHEL 3.

Though I have to admit, apt-cache is a great tool and quite fast,
I am not aware how stable/reliable apt works on RHEL. If you look
for stability, there must be a reason you run RHEL? I'd go for
yum any day. ;-)

Good luck

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'

#bofh excuse 256: You need to install an RTFM interface.

Unruh

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:24:10 PM7/31/06
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Chris Davies <chris-...@roaima.co.uk> writes:

>J <jason.b...@membersunited.org> wrote:
>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

No, but Mandriva developed a whole package-- urpmi-- to front end on rpm
and do exactly what you ask, including resolving all explicit dependencies
that the package may have. As source you can have an ftp, and http, a CD, a
DVD a local filesystem, whatever and you can mix and match them as well.
(Ie you can have a local, a DVD and an ftp repository and urpmi will search
them all for the package and for any dependency packages.)

Bill

Michael Heiming

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:32:47 PM7/31/06
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In comp.os.linux.misc Amadeus W. M. <amad...@cablespeed.com>:

> On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:57:01 -0700, J wrote:

>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

> I can't believe the answers you got. Yes, rpm can download and
> install a package, provided you know the url and the path:

> rpm http://some.repository.com/path/to/package.rpm

Put in '-ihv' after rpm and it should work the above does
nothing.

Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'

#bofh excuse 255: Standing room only on the bus.

Michael Heiming

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:37:49 PM7/31/06
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In comp.os.linux.misc Unruh <unruh...@physics.ubc.ca>:
> Chris Davies <chris-...@roaima.co.uk> writes:

>>J <jason.b...@membersunited.org> wrote:
>>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

> No, but Mandriva developed a whole package-- urpmi-- to front end on rpm

Seems the OP added in his reply to the thread he'd run "RHEL 4",
he should haven given this important information right from the
beginning.

[..]

>>There's an apt frontend to rpm. Is that sufficient?
>>Chris

--

Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'

#bofh excuse 150: Arcserve crashed the server again.

Unruh

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:50:27 PM7/31/06
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Michael Heiming <michael...@www.heiming.de> writes:

>In comp.os.linux.misc Amadeus W. M. <amad...@cablespeed.com>:
>> On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:57:01 -0700, J wrote:

>>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

>> I can't believe the answers you got. Yes, rpm can download and
>> install a package, provided you know the url and the path:

>> rpm http://some.repository.com/path/to/package.rpm

>Put in '-ihv' after rpm and it should work the above does
>nothing.

Or if you want to update a package you know you have already installed (ie
remove the old version and install the new) , use -Uhv, or if you are not sure if it is
installed but if it is, you want to freshen it up, use -Fvh (the vh is
simply to give you feedback while it is going on.)

>Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
>ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.

Well, "anyone" is stretching things since I at least did not know (but then
I use urpmi so it handles things for me.)

Unruh

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Jul 31, 2006, 3:51:59 PM7/31/06
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Michael Heiming <michael...@www.heiming.de> writes:

>In comp.os.linux.misc Unruh <unruh...@physics.ubc.ca>:
>> Chris Davies <chris-...@roaima.co.uk> writes:

>>>J <jason.b...@membersunited.org> wrote:
>>>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>>>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>>>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>>>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.

>> No, but Mandriva developed a whole package-- urpmi-- to front end on rpm

>Seems the OP added in his reply to the thread he'd run "RHEL 4",
>he should haven given this important information right from the
>beginning.

As far as I know you can install uprmi on Redhat, and use it there as well.
(I have never tried it, so you might want to take my statement with
suitable skepticism.)

Michael Heiming

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Jul 31, 2006, 4:22:26 PM7/31/06
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In comp.os.linux.misc Unruh <unruh...@physics.ubc.ca>:

> Michael Heiming <michael...@www.heiming.de> writes:
>>In comp.os.linux.misc Amadeus W. M. <amad...@cablespeed.com>:
>>> On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:57:01 -0700, J wrote:

[ stuff ]

>>Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
>>ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.

> Well, "anyone" is stretching things since I at least did not know (but then
> I use urpmi so it handles things for me.)

That sums it up quite well, use the tool that was made for the
job, for a most hazel free experience. In case of RHEL there are
at least two options. Just use rhn which comes with your
subscription or buy your own RH network server* (a bit pricey
(iirc)) and enjoy that you can always blame RH if something goes
wrong or use yum.

*It does a couple more things then yum, but if installing, updating
and removing packages/(groups) with dependencies cleared for you
is all you want...

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'

Henry Ford said: "If the people understood the banking system
today, there would be a revolt in the streets tomorrow."

Amadeus W. M.

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Jul 31, 2006, 4:33:26 PM7/31/06
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On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:32:47 +0200, Michael Heiming wrote:

> In comp.os.linux.misc Amadeus W. M. <amad...@cablespeed.com>:
>> On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:57:01 -0700, J wrote:
>
>>> Is there a flag for rpm that will make rpm download a package from an
>>> rpm repository automatically and install it? Essetially I was hoping
>>> to find something like "yum install firefox" or "apt-get firefox" but
>>> using the rpm command. Does it exist? Thanks.
>
>> I can't believe the answers you got. Yes, rpm can download and
>> install a package, provided you know the url and the path:
>
>> rpm http://some.repository.com/path/to/package.rpm
>
> Put in '-ihv' after rpm and it should work the above does
> nothing.
>

But of course... Sorry about the lapse.

> Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
> ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.

"Something like yum install firefox" was the second part. The first
part was if it was possible to download and install a package
from a remote repository, to which I answer yes. I'm guessing the
point the OP was missing was that rpm is not on par with yum/apt,
as rpm does not solve dependencies, so you can't possibly have
anything like

rpm install firefox

because firefox has a million dependencies.

Too much said already.

Amadeus W. M.

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Jul 31, 2006, 4:34:37 PM7/31/06
to
>>Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
>>ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.
>
> Well, "anyone" is stretching things since I at least did not know (but then
> I use urpmi so it handles things for me.)

Now that's a first :)


J

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Aug 7, 2006, 2:54:05 PM8/7/06
to
I want to thank you all for your answers. I didn't give much info in
my original question as I thought the answer would be a simple 'yes,
use this flag', or 'no way'. The variety of answers is interesting to
say the least.
For a little bit more detail, we run RHEL4 ES on several production
servers. I would have preferred Debian or even CentOS, but the suits
wanted vendor support and accountability. I know there are other
options as well, but for various reasons, Red Hat won. For my personal
use, I live on Debian and its variants, and one of its big selling
points to me is apt and it's extensions. I wanted similar
functionality in Red Hat but I was hoping to keep it to their
"included" packages (apt & yum are not available for RHEL 4 through
their channels). My experiences with Red Hat thus far have been that
they try very hard to find a reason to not support their product - and
I knew that if they heard something like, 'I installed that through
yum' or even saw that yum was installed, I would get the response 'you
will need to install that through a supported means and stop using yum'
or something similar.
Thanks again for the suggestions.

Michael Heiming

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Aug 7, 2006, 4:21:05 PM8/7/06
to
In comp.os.linux.misc J <jason.b...@membersunited.org>:

> Amadeus W. M. wrote:
>> >>Sure anyone knows that rpm can install/update through http or
>> >>ftp, but the OP asked for something like 'apt-get'/'yum'.

>> > Well, "anyone" is stretching things since I at least did not know (but then
>> > I use urpmi so it handles things for me.)

>> Now that's a first :)

> I want to thank you all for your answers. I didn't give much


> info in my original question as I thought the answer would be a
> simple 'yes, use this flag', or 'no way'. The variety of
> answers is interesting to say the least. For a little bit more
> detail, we run RHEL4 ES on several production servers. I would
> have preferred Debian or even CentOS, but the suits wanted
> vendor support and accountability. I know there are other
> options as well, but for various reasons, Red Hat won. For my
> personal use, I live on Debian and its variants, and one of its
> big selling points to me is apt and it's extensions. I wanted
> similar functionality in Red Hat but I was hoping to keep it to
> their "included" packages (apt & yum are not available for RHEL
> 4 through their channels). My experiences with Red Hat thus
> far have been that they try very hard to find a reason to not
> support their product

Can't tell, in the rare cases it usually did work quite well.

> - and I knew that if they heard something
> like, 'I installed that through yum' or even saw that yum was
> installed, I would get the response 'you will need to install
> that through a supported means and stop using yum' or something
> similar. Thanks again for the suggestions.

This is nothing more then your wild speculations, sure RH doesn't
support yum right now, so they won't help you in case of problems
with it.

But that's all about it, they will not care if you use it. Would
be great if they could add it to RHEL 5 and the xfs filesystem
while they are at it. ;-)

Good luck

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo zvp...@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'

#bofh excuse 197: I'm sorry a pentium won't do, you need an
SGI to connect with us.

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