3. Software Management Tools in Fedora
The yum command-line utility is a complete software management system. Fedora also includes two graphical applications for software management that use yum. The pup utility provides an interface for updating software, and the pirut application enables you to add or remove software.
Both graphical tools appear in the Applications desktop menu. To update your system with pup, select Applications → System Tools → Software Updater. To add or remove software with pirut, select Applications → Add/Remove Software.
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When using pup or pirut you will be asked for the root password when starting these programs.
There is also puplet which automatically checks for, and alerts you to, updates for your system. It appears as an icon in the notification area when new updates are available. Click this icon to launch pup and update your system.
The rpm command-line utility has many functions for working with individual RPM packages. You may use it to manually install and remove packages from your system. If you install software with the rpm utility, you must manually check and install any dependencies. For this reason, pirut and yum are the recommended methods for installing software.
The pirut and
yum utilities ensure that you have the most recent version of software packages. Other methods do not guarantee that the packages are current.Updating Software With Pup
This section explains how to use the Pup graphical update program, and how Puplet works to provide notifications of available updates.
Update Notifications
Puplet works constantly in the background, checking for available software updates from the enabled repositories. When updates become available a package icon appears in the notification area, along with an alert which appears for a short time and reveals the number of updates available.
Once the notification tray icon is present, there are a number of possible actions it can perform:
- Refresh will check for new updates
- View Updates launches Pup and allows you to find more details about the packages to be updated, to de-select some updates, and to start the update process
- Apply Updates
- Quit closes Puplet until the next time the system starts
The Package Updater
This program features a scrollable text window under the heading Updates available. In this text window all of the available updates are listed, and all are selected by default. If you want to remove any of the packages queued for update, left click the ticked box next to the relevant package.
Some updates have a circular arrow icon next to them, indicating that these changes won't be applied until the next system reboot.
Further information about the updates can be found by selecting the desired package, then left clicking the Update Details text.
Once satisfied with the package selection left click the Apply Updates button. Pup checks for dependencies, ensuring that the updated packages will have everything required to function correctly. If dependencies are added a dialogue will be displayed informing you which new packages are set to be installed. Review this dialog and click Continue if it is OK.
The packages will then be downloaded and installed. If a reboot is needed for some of the changes to take place, you will be informed of this at the end of the updates.
Managing Software with Pirut
This section explains Pirut, Fedora's graphical package management program. It demonstrates the different search facilities within Pirut and how to install a package. The Banshee music management package is used as an example.
Browse Software
Start Pirut by selecting the Add/Remove Programs entry in the Applications menu, entering your root password when prompted.
The program starts in Browse view by default. This view organizes packages into related groups, displaying top level groups on the left and sub-categories on the right. When a tick is present next to a sub-category, it indicates applications from that group are installed.
To install Banshee, select the Sound and Video sub-category and press the Optional Packages button. Locate Banshee in the list and queue it for installation by ticking its box with a left-click. As many packages as desired can be queued for installation by ticking the appropriate boxes.
To add packages from other groups or sub-categories to the queue, browse to the desired group or sub-category and proceed as before. The Optional Packages button is only available when the desired sub-category is ticked. Ticking a previously un-ticked sub-category automatically queues for installation any packages required for that sub-category.
To install the queued packages press the Apply button.
Remove packages by un-ticking the appropriate boxes and pressing the Apply button.
Dependencies
After applying changes, Pirut prompts to confirm the packages you have selected. Proceed if the list is correct, otherwise cancel and refine the selection.
Dependenices are packages that are required by another package to function correctly.
Pirut now resolves any dependencies. A dialog informs you which dependencies have been found, and are automatically marked for installation. Confirm this list to proceed.
When a package is removed it is possible other packages may have relied on it to function correctly. If this is the case Pirut also removes these other applications. Check the dependency dialog and cancel if any of the packages marked for removal are still needed. This can be corrected by refining your package selection.
Search Software
When the desired application's name is known, the Search tab is more efficient.
Select the Search tab from the top of the window and enter Banshee into the search box. Press enter to begin the search. Results, including related packages, are shown in the box below. To find more information about a package before installation, highlight it with a left-click and press the Package Details text below.
To queue a package for installation or removal, toggle its box as appropriate. Once all the packages have been selected press Apply.
List Software
The list tab displays all available packages. Packages can be queued for installation or removal in the same manner as before. Once satisfied with the selections, press the Apply button to commit the changes.
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