Package management

• Package management
  • Overview over different package managers
  • apt (Advanced Package Tools)
    • Install & Upgrade packages (APT)
      • Manual install (APT)
    • Hold packages (APT)
    • Remove packages (APT)
  • dnf (Dandified Yum)
    • Listing and finding packages (DNF)
    • Install & Upgrade packages (DNF)
    • Remove packages (DNF)
    • Working with repositories (DNF)
    • Working with modules (DNF)

Overview over different package managers

Depending on the system used, there is a different package manager installed. Common ones are…

• apt (Advanced Package Tools)
• yum (Yellowdog Updater, Modified)
• dnf (Dandified Yum)
• rpm (RedHat Package Manager)

There are two low-level package formats: .rpm, which is used by DNF/Yum and ZYpp and .deb, which is used by Apt.

apt (Advanced Package Tools)

Apt ist used in Ubuntu distributions and many more.

The repos that are used as package database are stored in /etc/apt/sources.list.

Install & Upgrade packages (APT)

• apt-get install <name-of-package> [-y]: install/upgrade a package
• apt-get install -f: fix broken dependencies
• apt-get update: update local database from repos
• apt-get upgrade: upgrade installed packages
• apt-get dist-upgrade: upgrade installed packages but better

Manual install (APT)

• apt-get download <name-of-package>: download a package without installing it
• dpkg -i <name-and-version-of-package.deb>: manually install a package

Hold packages (APT)

• apt-mark hold <name-of-package>: exclude a package from upgrading
• apt-mark unhold <name-of-package>: remove the hold from a package

Remove packages (APT)

• apt-get remove <name-of-package>: remove a package without removing its config
• apt-get purge <name-of-package>: remove a package and remove its config
• apt-get clean: clean obsolete deb packages
• apt-get autoclean: clean obsolete deb packages
• apt-get autoremove: remove obsolete packages (e. g. old dependencies)

Trick: remove and purge support a wildcard (*) at the end!

• apt-cache show <name-of-package>: get infos about a package from cache

dnf (Dandified Yum)

Dnf is the newer version of Yum.

• Repos: /etc/yum.repos.d
• Config: /etc/dnf/dnf.conf
• Plugins: /etc/dnf/plugins

Dnf also includes “modules”: groups of packages.

Listing and finding packages (DNF)

• dnf list installed: list installed packages
• dnf list available "abc*": list available packages
• dnf search "abc*": find package
• dnf provides <feature/cmd>: find package that contains command/executable
• def depkist <package-name>: list dependencies of package

Install & Upgrade packages (DNF)

• dnf install <name-of-package>: install package
• dnf localinstall <file.rpm>: manually install rpm file
• dnf check-update: check for updates
• dnf update [name-of-package]: update package / all packages

Remove packages (DNF)

• dnf remove <name-of-package>: remove package
• dnf autoremove <name-of-package>: remove package including non-needed dependencies

Working with repositories (DNF)

• dnf repolist: list installed repositories
• dnf repoinfo: list installed repositories with additional info
• dnf --enablerepo <repoid>: enable specific repo
• dnf --disablerepo <repoid>: disable specific repo

Working with modules (DNF)

• dnf module <subcommand...>: all

(see documentation for details)