repositories and rpm, basic questions

English Applications
1

I have been using Suse Linux for years and I must ask some basic questions about repositories which may be elementary to many. Recently I was redirected to a repository with over 30 rpms and I figured it is time to ask the questions.

Is it implied that when you go to a repository that one has to select and install all the listed rpm’s?

If so, which order do you use? Is there some tool to load all at once instead of individually?
If not, is there an intelligent way to select the ones you need or does one simply use “trial and error” approach? Can you skip development rpms?

I appreciate definitive answers or links that will answer my queries since my efforts were fruitless.

2

Is it implied that when you go to a repository that one has to select and install all the listed rpm’s?
No

Install the main package. For example: If you want to install ‘thunderbird’, search for it and mark to install it, any other required packages will be added automatically.

Keep your repos to a minimum or you can end up in a mess.

3

Hmmm…

Keep your repos to a minimum or you can end up in a mess.

Shouldn’t that be the primary purpose of a Package Manager, which is to read dependencies, look for those dependencies wherever they might be (in any repository) and then issue recommendations/options for the User to select (eg install a new dependency package, ignore and break the requirement, cancel the install)?

BTW - One of the advantages of enabling Tumbleweed (and if necessary asking for a package to be Tumbleweed enabled) is that adding multiple new repositories just for that one app shouldn’t be necessary… Tumbleweed ensures that the app and any new future versions won’t require adding repositories.

For 11.3 users, this page describes Tumbleweed and how to add the Tumbleweed repository

Tumbleweed - openSUSE

Tony

4

On 02/27/2011 10:06 PM, jpvrla wrote:
>
> I have been using Suse Linux for years and I must ask some basic
> questions about repositories which may be elementary to many. Recently
> I was redirected to a repository with over 30 rpms and I figured it is
> time to ask the questions.

there are folks all over the earth that have no idea what they are
talking about…so, who directed you to a repo to find what?

what application do you want to install?

is it in an openSUSE repo?

> Is it implied that when you go to a repository that one has to select
> and install all the listed rpm’s?

probably not…but, each RPM has a name, and each name has a meaning
which can be read and usually understood…

>
> If so, which order do you use? Is there some tool to load all at once
> instead of individually?

are you using YaST or zypper?

> If not, is there an intelligent way to select the ones you need or does
> one simply use “trial and error” approach?

how many permutations of 30 RPMs are you willing to trial and
error…100, 300 ??

read the names…

> Can you skip development rpms?

i don’t know, do you want to write new code for the main program? fix
some bugs in the code?

> I appreciate definitive answers or links that will answer my queries
> since my efforts were fruitless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_Package_Manager#Package_filename_and_label

–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP posted w/openSUSE 11.3, KDE4.5.5, Thunderbird3.0.11, nVidia
173.14.28 3D, Athlon 64 3000+]
“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” DD 23 Jan 11

5

The desired app is wine. OpenSuse directed me to the following link for my system:
Index of /repositories/Emulators:/Wine/openSUSE_11.3/x86_64.

What appeared to be the obvious rpm choice (below) failed prompting me to download other rpms in this repository which finished but did not resolve the error which may be a different issue altogether.
wine-1.3.14-1.1.x86_64.rpmYAST reported:
"nothing provides wine-32bit=1.3.14 needed by wine 1.3.14-1.1.x86_64

Conflict Resolution: do not install … or break wine by Ignoring …
I just find it unsettling to select rpms when there are a host of gettext, debuginfo, snapshots, tools, etc.

Pardon my ignorance but I worked with different Unix operating systems for years and they did not require nearly as much guesswork.

](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_Package_Manager#Package_filename_and_label)
6

@jpvrla

Do this in a su - terminal
How to be su in a terminal

zypper ar -f http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Emulators:/Wine/openSUSE_11.3/ wine

zypper ref

(a) to accept always if asked

Now do this

zypper in wine
7

On 02/28/2011 06:06 PM, caf4926 wrote:
> Code:
> --------------------
> zypper ar -f http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Emulators:/Wine/openSUSE_11.3/ wine
> --------------------

but but but, how come if i open YaST, without that
/Emulators:/Wine/openSUSE_11.3/ repo added and enabled, i see a WINE
(v 1.2-0.1.1) available and installable from a standard repo…

what is going on?

why is there an “emulator” repo with WINE in it anyway–Wine Is Not an
Emulator!

–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP posted w/openSUSE 11.3, KDE4.5.5, Thunderbird3.0.11, nVidia
173.14.28 3D, Athlon 64 3000+]
“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” DD 23 Jan 11

8

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:45:39 +0530, DenverD
<DenverD@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

> why is there an “emulator” repo with WINE in it anyway–Wine Is Not an
> Emulator!

this repo has a later verion of wine than the standard repos. this may be
important for people trying to run particular applications that won’t run
on an earlier version, never mind that it isn’t really an “emulator.”

–
phani.

9

Using zypper allowed me to install wine without a hitch. Now, I find trying to use wine is even more problematic than its install. But that’s another story for a future post.
Consider this discussion closed or should I say “zypped up”.