Need help understanding repositories

**rn8849** · 15-Feb-2018, 16:56

I am working through some curriculum on learning Linux, in it they showed using the locate command but I could not get it to run in OpenSuse. I did some research and discovered that it is not installed by default. I tried using Yast to install "findutils-locate" and it had trouble with what looked like updating it's database ebut eventually finished, I searched for "findutil" in what I believe is called the Software Manager. I was in the "Add-on Product" screen and clicked on the "Run Software Manager" so now I can see findutils in the RPM Groups -> Productivity -> File utilities but I was still unable to get locate to run on the command line. I found this forum and a post by wolfi323 in which he wrote

It is not installed by default anymore.

But you can easily install it by typing:
Code:
sudo zypper in findutils-locate

So I ran that on the command line and now it works. I see that it says "findutils-locate" which I was unable to find in the Software Manager. So, what am I doing wrong? What should I have searched for? and what is zypper?

Thanks in advance,
Gary

**ravas** · 15-Feb-2018, 17:15

Code:

zypper se findutils-locate

No matching items found.

Code:

zypper in findutils-locate

The following 2 NEW packages are going to be installed:
mlocate mlocate-lang

I don't know why `zypper se findutils-locate` fails to find it.

Code:

zypper info --provides mlocate

Code:

Information for package mlocate:
--------------------------------
Repository     : openSUSE-Leap-42.3-0                
Name           : mlocate                             
Version        : 0.26-25.1                           
Arch           : x86_64                              
Vendor         : openSUSE                            
Installed Size : 143.5 KiB                           
Installed      : No                                  
Status         : not installed                       
Source package : mlocate-0.26-25.1.src               
Summary        : An utility for finding files by name
Description    :                                     
    A new locate implementation. The m character
    stands for merging, because updatedb reuses the
    existing database to avoid re-reading most of the
    file system.
Provides       : [5]                                 
    findutils:/usr/bin/locate
    config(mlocate) = 0.26-25.1
    findutils-locate = 5.0.26
    mlocate = 0.26-25.1
    mlocate(x86-64) = 0.26-25.1

**ravas** · 15-Feb-2018, 17:21

Code:

zypper se --provides findutils-locate

Code:

S | Name    | Summary                              | Type   
--+---------+--------------------------------------+--------
  | mlocate | An utility for finding files by name | package