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Yum cheatsheet of commands you'll actually use

· 2 min read

The Redhat yum cheat sheet (first google result) is full of commands I've never used. Here is a concise list that I hope better represents mine and other's usage during day-to-day or custom RPM related work:

Basics​

yum install packageName
yum update  packageName
yum remove  packageName
# stop asking me yes-or-no [y/N]
yum install -y packageName

Install specific version​

# format:
yum install packageName-version.version.architecture

# example:
yum install firefox-31.5.3-3.el7_1.x86_64

Install from a local file​

yum localinstall package.rpm

Remote packages​

Search remote packages by substring​

yum search keyword

Available versions to install?​

yum --showduplicates list packageName

Local packages​

Check if a package is installed​

The output format is different for the two options:

# Suggested command
> rpm -qa | grep "python"
python-libs-2.7.5-58.el7.x86_64
python-2.7.5-58.el7.x86_64
# OR
> yum list installed | grep "python"
python.x86_64                2.7.5-58.el7                     
python-libs.x86_64           2.7.5-58.el7

Where are the files installed?​

rpm -ql packageName

Debugging errors or your own package​

Clear yum cache​

yum clean all
# on some systems you may additionally have to do this:
rm -rf /var/cache/yum/*

Download an RPM as a .rpm​

yum install --downloadonly --downloaddir=/tmp packageName

Print post-install POSTIN scripts​

rpm -qp --scripts localrpm.rpm