Chapter 33. Package Management Tool
During installation, users select an installation type such as
Workstation or Server. Software
packages are installed based on this selection. Because people use their
computers differently, users might want to install or remove packages
after installation. The Package Management Tool allows
users to perform these actions.
The X Window System is required to run the
Package Management Tool. To start the application, go to
the (on the Panel) => => , or type the command
redhat-config-packages at shell prompt.
The same interface appears if you insert the Red Hat Linux CD-ROM #1 into your
computer.
The interface for this application is similar to the one used during
installation. Packages are divided into package groups, which contain a
list of standard packages and extra
packages that share common functionality. For example, the
Graphical Internet group contains a Web browser,
email client, and other graphical programs used to connected to the
Internet. The standard packages can not be selected for removal unless the
entire package group is removed. The extra packages are optional packages
that can be selected for installation or removal, as long as the package
group is selected.
The main window shows a list of package groups. If the package group
has a checkmark in the checkbox beside it, packages from that group are
currently installed. To view the individual packages list for a group,
click the Details button beside it. The individual
packages with a checkmark beside them are currently installed.
33.1. Installing Packages
To install the standard packages in a package group that is not
currently installed, check the checkbox beside it. To customize the
packages to be installed within the group, click the
Details button beside it. The list of standard
and extra packages is displayed, as shown in Figure 33-2. Clicking on the package name displays
the disk space required to install the package at the bottom of the
window. Checking the checkbox beside the package name marks it for
installation.
You can also select individual packages from already installed package
groups by click the Details button and checking
any of the extra packages not already installed.
After selecting package groups and individual packages to install, click
the Update button on the main window. The
application will then compute the amount of disk space required to
install the packages as well as any package dependencies and display a
summary window. If there are package dependencies, they will be
automatically added to the list of packages to install. Click the
Show Details button to view the complete list of
packages to be installed.
Click Continue to start the installation
process. When it is finished, an Update Complete
message will appear.
 | Tip |
|---|
| | If you use Nautilus to browse the files and
directories on your computer, you can also use it to install
packages. In Nautilus, go to the directory
that contains an RPM package (they usually end in
.rpm), and double-click on the RPM icon.
|
