Chapter 16. Package Management Tool
During installation, a default set of software packages are installed.
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 main menu on the
panel) => => , or type the command
system-config-packages at shell prompt.
The same interface automatically appears when you insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1
into your computer.
The interface for this application is similar to the one used for
individual package selection 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 link beside it. Individual
packages with a checkmark beside them are currently installed.
To install standard packages from a package group that is not currently
installed, check the checkbox beside that package group. To customize
the packages to be installed within a group, click the
Details link beside it. The list of standard and
extra packages is displayed, as shown in Figure 16-2. 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 clicking the Details link 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. Information
such as the number of packages to be installed and the amount of disk
space required to install the packages, as well as any package
dependencies, is displayed in a summary window. If there are package
dependencies, they are 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 appears.
 | Tip |
|---|
| | If you use Nautilus to manage 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.
|
