Easiest way to obtain updated software for Red Hat?

[Ace69]

Is there a site that exists that simply searches for all known updates for Red Hat so that I can do all my updates in one shot?

 

[andri]

Well, you could use RH's own `up2date' tool.

 

[Ace69]

up2date, huh? I have never heard of that before. I will have to check it out. Thanks.

 

[Koeppster]

Ace,

Check out the list of Redhat mirrors, or go to rpmfind.net, which is a HUGE repository of RPMs for dozens of distributions.

I've never tried up2date, it might be handy.

 

[Ace69]

I know of those sites to go to. Basically I was just wanting a list of all known updates. A nice utility to automatically find them would be nice to.

I hate to say this, but kinda like a Windows Update. eeek, I can't believe I just said that.

 

[ScottMac]

Version 7.1 came with a 'System Update" tool (UP2DATE). After your register, it inventories the software on your system.

Then you can go to "Red Hat Network," it compares what you have to what is current, and, with your permission, downloads the updates and installs 'em....even the Kernel. I think the last one I got was 2.4.3-12). You can select which updates your want from a list, or just check the "select all" box.

It is pretty much like running "Windows Update" from MS, except in most cases, you don't have to reboot to activate the new config.

FWIW

Scott

 

[Koeppster]

I try to keep from installing all the RPMs Redhat wants to install by default, and I always find that rpm tries to corral me into installing more stuff than I want with its dependency checking (ack).

Periodically I check for updates on rpmfind.net by going to the Redhat updates tree and sorting by date of creation. Then I can decide which ones are worth installing.

Heck, if you want to be really bleeding-edge, run Rawhide or Debian-testing. Or perhaps you meant updating to keep up with security issues?

 

[Ace69]

Is up2date just for boxes with X installed? I have a server that is only command line.

 

[Ace69]

<< Or perhaps you meant updating to keep up with security issues? >>


Yes, that is what I meant for the most part.

 

[Koeppster]

Look here. (yet another thing rpmfind.net is good for ).

You're in luck, you don't need X. But you do need python and gnupg, although I imagine it would work fine w/o gnupg if you install up2date with --nodeps.

 

[Ace69]

<< Look here. (yet another thing rpmfind.net is good for >>


Yes, I already have the rpm. That was no problem to do a little search, but it called for all those dependencires and then those dependencies called for more. Eventually it was wanting me to upgrade XFree86 which I don't have on my server!

I frikkin'' hate RPMs. If you don't get all the dependencies and do a --nodeps option, sometimes it works fine and other times it screws up many more packages.

I oughtta just start getting everything from source. Things would be much easier.

Ace

 

[Ace69]

I have been try ing to get those damn rpms to work and I finally just did a --force -nodeps argument on them and then tried to run up2date. This is what I got:

/usr/sbin/up2date:204: SyntaxWarning: name 'progressCurrent' is used prior to global declaration
def rpmCallback(what, amount, total, hdr, path):
/usr/sbin/up2date:204: SyntaxWarning: name 'hashesPrinted' is assigned to before global declaration
def rpmCallback(what, amount, total, hdr, path):
/usr/sbin/up2date:204: SyntaxWarning: name 'lastPercent' is assigned to before global declaration
def rpmCallback(what, amount, total, hdr, path):
/usr/sbin/up2date:204: SyntaxWarning: name 'progressTotal' is assigned to before global declaration
def rpmCallback(what, amount, total, hdr, path):
/usr/sbin/up2date:204: SyntaxWarning: name 'progressCurrent' is assigned to before global declaration
def rpmCallback(what, amount, total, hdr, path):
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/sbin/up2date", line 9, in ?
import rpm
ImportError: No module named rpm

I really have no idea what this error message mean, else I would go in and correct it.

 

[Koeppster]

Hmmm...is /usr/sbin/up2date a shell script? I'd try an strace and ldd as the next step I suppose.

Yes, RPMs can be a REAL pain. I must have been looking into my crystal ball with that one post earlier....all of a sudden you're having exactly those kinds of problems.

What packages do you want to update exactly? If up2date was able to at least generate a list, I'd be curious to see it.

 

[viguru]

If you are getting to be a more intermediate Linux user, I would recommend you installing Debian. Debian has APT which helps you keep your system up to date. if you run

apt-get update

It will get all the software/security updates for your version branch (Debian has three versions.. Stable,Testing and Unstable)

Then if you want to update to a testing or unstable branch you uncomment their lines in your sources.list file and just do a

apt-get dist-upgrade

That will update your version branch to testing or unstable

Then if you want to install vim or something you do a

apt-get install vim

and it will get it from the net somewhere and its dependencies.
and if you get sick of vim

apt-get remove vim

and it will uninstall it. But sometimes it doesnt remove its dependencies and you have to reissue the command for the dependencies.

But apt is a wonderful tool.

 

[viguru]

here is a good discussion about rpm up2date. Link

 

[Ace69]

Another distro is out of the question since this is my main server here. I can't have it down for more than a few minutes. I am tired of messing with it today. I am in the process of cleaning it up anyway. We will see how it goes.

Thanks.