LPIC-1 102.5 — Use RPM and YUM Package Management

Exam weight: 3 — LPIC-1 v5, Exam 101

What you need to know

Install, reinstall, upgrade and remove packages using rpm, yum and zypper.
Obtain information about RPM packages: version, status, dependencies, integrity, signatures.
Determine which files a package provides, and find which package owns a specific file.
Know that dnf exists.

RPM: installing and managing packages

RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) works directly with .rpm files. It does not resolve dependencies automatically, so installing packages via RPM is only convenient when dependencies are already satisfied. Package filename format:

bash-5.1.8-6.el9.x86_64.rpm
 ^    ^     ^   ^    ^
 |    |     |   |    architecture
 |    |     |   distribution
 |    |     release
 |    version
 package name

Installing and removing

# Install a new package
rpm -ivh package.rpm
# -i  install
# -v  verbose output
# -h  show hash progress ########

# Upgrade a package (installs if not present)
rpm -Uvh package.rpm

# Freshen: upgrade only if already installed
rpm -Fvh package.rpm

# Remove a package (package name, not file)
rpm -e package_name

# Reinstall
rpm -ivh --replacepkgs package.rpm

# Ignore dependencies (dangerous)
rpm -ivh --nodeps package.rpm

# Force installation
rpm -ivh --force package.rpm

The difference between -U and -F is important for the exam. -U installs the package even if it was not there before; -F skips installation if the package is not already on the system.

Querying the RPM database

All queries use the -q (query) flag. You can query both installed packages and .rpm files on disk.

# Check whether a package is installed
rpm -q bash
# Output: bash-5.1.8-6.el9.x86_64

# List all installed packages
rpm -qa
rpm -qa | grep ssh

# Detailed package information
rpm -qi bash

# List files in a package
rpm -ql bash

# Find which package owns a file
rpm -qf /bin/bash
# Output: bash-5.1.8-6.el9.x86_64

# List config files of a package
rpm -qc bash

# List documentation files
rpm -qd bash

# List dependencies (what the package requires)
rpm -qR bash

# What the package provides (capabilities)
rpm -q --provides bash

# Pre/post-install scripts
rpm -q --scripts bash

# Package changelog
rpm -q --changelog bash | head -20

# Query an .rpm file (not installed) — add -p
rpm -qip package.rpm    # package file info
rpm -qlp package.rpm    # list files in package
rpm -qRp package.rpm    # package dependencies

Remember the suffixes: i = info, l = list files, f = file (who owns it), c = config, d = docs, R = requires, p = package file on disk.

Verifying integrity and signatures

RPM can verify a package in two ways: via MD5/SHA (file integrity) and via a GPG signature (publisher authenticity).

# Verify an installed package (file integrity)
rpm -V bash
# No output means everything is fine
# If a file has changed: S M 5 D L U G T c /etc/bashrc
# S=size, M=permissions, 5=MD5, D=device, L=symlink, U=owner, G=group, T=mtime, c=config

# Verify all installed packages
rpm -Va

# Check the signature of an .rpm file
rpm --checksig package.rpm
rpm -K package.rpm

# Import the publisher's GPG key (needed to verify signatures)
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release

The output codes of rpm -V appear in exam questions. A letter in the output indicates an attribute that differs from what is expected.

rpm2cpio: extracting without installing

rpm2cpio converts an .rpm file into a cpio archive. This is useful when you need to extract a single file from a package without installing the whole thing.

# Extract package contents into the current directory
rpm2cpio package.rpm | cpio -idmv
# -i  extract
# -d  create directories automatically
# -m  preserve modification times
# -v  verbose

# List files in a package without extracting
rpm2cpio package.rpm | cpio -tv

# Extract a single specific file
rpm2cpio package.rpm | cpio -idmv ./usr/bin/bash

A typical scenario: you accidentally deleted a system file and need to restore it without reinstalling the entire package.

YUM: high-level package manager

YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified) works on top of RPM and resolves dependencies automatically. It downloads packages from repositories and installs everything required.

Managing packages with yum

# Install a package
yum install package_name
yum install -y package_name    # without confirmation

# Remove a package
yum remove package_name
yum erase package_name         # same thing

# Upgrade a specific package
yum update package_name

# Upgrade all packages
yum update

# Check for an update without installing
yum check-update package_name

# Check for updates for all packages
yum check-update

# Reinstall a package
yum reinstall package_name

# Downgrade to a previous version
yum downgrade package_name

# Install a specific version
yum install package_name-version

Searching and getting information

# Search by name or description
yum search keyword

# Detailed package information
yum info package_name

# List all available packages
yum list

# List installed packages
yum list installed

# List available (not installed) packages
yum list available

# Find which package provides a file or utility
yum provides /bin/bash
yum whatprovides /bin/bash    # same thing

# List package dependencies
yum deplist package_name

# Operation history
yum history
yum history info 5            # details of transaction #5
yum history undo 5            # undo transaction #5

# Clean the cache
yum clean all
yum clean packages
yum clean metadata

# Install from a local .rpm file (with dependency resolution)
yum localinstall package.rpm

yum provides is especially useful: you tell it “I need the file /usr/bin/nmap” and yum tells you which package to get it from.

Configuring YUM: yum.conf and repositories

The main configuration file is /etc/yum.conf. It holds global settings for all repositories.

# /etc/yum.conf (example)
[main]
cachedir=/var/cache/yum/$basearch/$releasever
keepcache=0
debuglevel=2
logfile=/var/log/yum.log
exactarch=1
obsoletes=1
gpgcheck=1
plugins=1
installonly_limit=3

Repositories are stored in /etc/yum.repos.d/ in files with a .repo extension. Each file can contain one or more repositories. You can add repositories manually by creating a .repo file, but the recommended way is the yum-config-manager utility.

# /etc/yum.repos.d/myrepo.repo (example)
[myrepo]
name=My Custom Repository
baseurl=http://repo.example.com/centos/7/os/x86_64/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=http://repo.example.com/RPM-GPG-KEY-myrepo

Repository fields:

[section] — unique repository identifier
name — human-readable name
baseurl — repository address (http, ftp, file://)
mirrorlist — alternative to baseurl, a link to a list of mirrors
enabled — 1 enabled, 0 disabled
gpgcheck — 1 verify GPG signature, 0 skip
gpgkey — path or URL to the GPG key

# Add a repository via yum-config-manager
yum-config-manager --add-repo https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi.repo

# Enable a repository
yum-config-manager --enable updates

# Disable a repository
yum-config-manager --disable updates

# List all repositories
yum repolist
yum repolist all        # including disabled ones

# Temporarily enable a disabled repository for one command
yum --enablerepo=epel install htop

The repository ID in yum repolist all output is taken from the first column, up to the first /. For the string updates/7/x86_64 the ID is updates.

DNF: the successor to YUM

DNF (Dandified YUM) replaced YUM in Fedora 22 and became the default package manager in RHEL 8 and CentOS 8. Command syntax is nearly identical to YUM.

# Basic operations
dnf install package_name
dnf remove package_name
dnf upgrade                      # upgrade all packages
dnf upgrade package_name         # upgrade one package

# Search and information
dnf search keyword
dnf info package_name
dnf provides /bin/bash

# List installed packages
dnf list --installed

# List files in a package
dnf repoquery -l package_name

# Repository management
dnf repolist
dnf repolist --enabled
dnf repolist --disabled
dnf config-manager --add_repo https://example.url/repo.repo
dnf config-manager --set-enabled REPO_ID
dnf config-manager --set-disabled REPO_ID

DNF repositories use the same .repo files in /etc/yum.repos.d/ — the format is identical to YUM. DNF fixes several YUM issues: better dependency resolution, modular package support, more accurate upgrade logic. Built-in help: dnf help install.

Zypper: the openSUSE package manager

Zypper works on openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise and also uses RPM packages under the hood. The syntax differs slightly from YUM.

# Update package lists from repositories
zypper refresh
zypper ref                 # short form

# Install a package
zypper install package_name
zypper in package_name     # short form

# Install a local .rpm file with dependency resolution from repositories
zypper in /home/user/package.rpm

# Remove a package (also removes packages that depend on it)
zypper remove package_name
zypper rm package_name

# Upgrade all packages
zypper update

# Show available updates without installing
zypper list-updates

# Search for a package by name
zypper search keyword
zypper se keyword

# List installed packages
zypper se -i

# Check whether a specific package is installed
zypper se -i unzip

# Search only among uninstalled packages
zypper se -u keyword

# Package information
zypper info package_name

# Find which package provides a file
zypper se --provides /usr/bin/bash
zypper se --provides /usr/lib64/libgimpmodule-2.0.so.0

# List repositories
zypper repos

# Add a repository
zypper addrepo http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/ packman
zypper ar URL alias

# Remove a repository
zypper removerepo packman

# Enable or disable a repository
zypper modifyrepo -e repo-non-oss    # enable
zypper modifyrepo -d repo-non-oss    # disable

# Enable/disable auto-refresh for a repository
zypper modifyrepo -f repo-non-oss    # enable auto-refresh
zypper modifyrepo -F repo-non-oss    # disable auto-refresh

Zypper supports per-repository auto-refresh: when the -f flag is enabled, zypper will run refresh automatically before working with that repository.

Exam command reference

Task	RPM	YUM	Zypper
Install a package	`rpm -ivh pkg.rpm`	`yum install pkg`	`zypper in pkg`
Upgrade a package	`rpm -Uvh pkg.rpm`	`yum update pkg`	`zypper up pkg`
Remove a package	`rpm -e pkg`	`yum remove pkg`	`zypper rm pkg`
Reinstall	`rpm -ivh --replacepkgs`	`yum reinstall pkg`	`zypper in -f pkg`
Package information	`rpm -qi pkg`	`yum info pkg`	`zypper info pkg`
List package files	`rpm -ql pkg`	`dnf repoquery -l pkg`	`rpm -ql pkg`
Who owns this file	`rpm -qf /path/file`	`yum whatprovides /path`	`zypper se --provides /path`
Dependencies	`rpm -qR pkg`	`yum deplist pkg`	`zypper info pkg`
Verify integrity	`rpm -V pkg`
List installed	`rpm -qa`	`yum list installed`	`zypper se -i`
Add a repository		`yum-config-manager --add-repo URL`	`zypper addrepo URL alias`
Enable/disable repo		`yum-config-manager --enable/--disable ID`	`zypper modifyrepo -e/-d alias`
Extract package	`rpm2cpio pkg.rpm \| cpio -idmv`

Key rpm flags:

-i   install          -q   query
-U   upgrade          -a   all
-F   freshen          -l   list files
-e   erase            -i   info
-v   verbose          -f   find package for file
-h   hash marks       -c   config files
-V   verify           -d   documentation
-K   check signature  -R   requires (dependencies)
-p   query package file (not installed)

Typical exam questions

Which command shows which package owns the file /usr/bin/ssh? rpm -qf /usr/bin/ssh

How do you install a package via RPM with a progress display? rpm -ivh package.rpm

What is the difference between rpm -U and rpm -F? -U installs the package even if it is not on the system; -F only upgrades an already installed package.

Which file contains the global YUM configuration? /etc/yum.conf

Where are YUM repository configurations stored? In /etc/yum.repos.d/, files with the .repo extension.

How do you extract files from an .rpm package without installing it? rpm2cpio package.rpm | cpio -idmv

Which YUM command finds the package that provides /bin/traceroute? yum provides /bin/traceroute

How do you verify the integrity of an installed package? rpm -V package_name

What does the letter S mean in the output of rpm -V? The file size differs from what is expected.

Which zypper command updates the package list from repositories? zypper refresh or zypper ref

Exercises

Guided Exercises

1. Install file-roller-3.28.1-2.el7.x86_64.rpm with rpm, showing a progress bar.

Answer

rpm -ih file-roller-3.28.1-2.el7.x86_64.rpm

The -h flag enables progress display as # characters. -v can be added for verbose text output, but -ih alone is enough for the progress bar.

2. Using rpm, find which package contains the file /etc/redhat-release.

Answer

rpm -qf /etc/redhat-release

The -qf flag stands for “query file” — it queries which package a file belongs to.

3. How do you check for available updates for all packages using yum?

Answer

yum check-update

The command shows a list of packages that have updates available but installs nothing. Pass a package name as an argument to check just one package.

4. Disable the repo-extras repository using zypper.

Answer

zypper modifyrepo -d repo-extras

modifyrepo changes parameters of an existing repository. -d disables it; -e re-enables it.

5. You have a ready-made .repo file describing a new repository. Where should you put it so that DNF picks it up?

Answer

In the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory.

DNF and YUM share the same directory for repositories. The .repo file format is identical for both.

Explorational Exercises

1. How do you use zypper to find which package contains the file /usr/sbin/swapon?

Answer

zypper se --provides /usr/sbin/swapon

The se (search) operator with the --provides flag finds packages that provide the specified file or capability.

2. How do you get a list of all installed packages using dnf?

Answer

dnf list --installed

3. Add a repository located at https://www.example.url/home:reponame.repo using dnf.

Answer

dnf config-manager --add_repo https://www.example.url/home:reponame.repo

Note the underscore in --add_repo — not a hyphen. Added repositories are enabled by default.

4. How do you check whether the unzip package is installed using zypper?

Answer

zypper se -i unzip

The -i flag limits the search to installed packages only. If unzip is installed it will appear in the results with the status i in the first column.

5. Using yum, find which package provides the file /bin/wget.

Answer

yum whatprovides /bin/wget

yum whatprovides works with full file paths as well as library names or capabilities (e.g. libgimpui-2.0.so.0).

102.4 Use Debian Package Management — dpkg and apt
103.1 Work on the Command Line — shell basics

LPIC-1 Study Notes | Topic 101: System Architecture

LPIC-1 102.5 — Use RPM and YUM Package Management

What you need to know

RPM: installing and managing packages

Installing and removing

Querying the RPM database

Verifying integrity and signatures

rpm2cpio: extracting without installing

YUM: high-level package manager

Managing packages with yum

Searching and getting information

Configuring YUM: yum.conf and repositories

DNF: the successor to YUM

Zypper: the openSUSE package manager

Exam command reference

Typical exam questions

Exercises

Guided Exercises

Explorational Exercises

Related topics