Keeping Fedora Core 4 Updated from the Command Line

For users who require a command-line tool for Fedora Core updates (for example, users running a Linux server system who did not install the desktop components of Fedora), there is another software tool that can be used to keep Fedora Core 4 up to date.

The yum command can be used to update a Fedora Core 4 system or install additional Fedora Core 4 software from the command line. Officially, yum is short for Yellowdog Updater Modified, though it may be easier to remember it as being short for Your Update Manager.

Updating Fedora Core 4 Using yum

It's surprisingly easy to update a Fedora Core 4 system using yum. In most cases, simply supply the update argument to the yum command from a command prompt (you must be logged in as root to do so). The yum command then checks the update server for updates and begins to compile a list of the software that must be updated:

 [you@workstation20 you]# yum update Setting up Update Process Setting up Repos [...] 

As yum collects information on the available list of updates and the dependencies for each package, you'll see a great deal of information about software packages and versions scroll by. Eventually, yum will finish its calculations and ask you whether you want to download and install the list of updated components. Answer yes by entering a Y:

   Update: yum.noarch 0:2.3.2-1 - development   Update: zlib.i386 0:1.2.2.2-3 - development   Update: zlib-devel.i386 0:1.2.2.2-3 - development Performing the following to resolve dependencies:   Install: libgcj.i386 0:4.0.0-0.42 - development   Install: libgcrypt-devel.i386 0:1.2.1-1 - development   Install: libgpg-error-devel.i386 0:1.0-2 - development   Install: libtool-ltdl.i386 0:1.5.14.multilib2-6 - development   Install: perl-Compress-Zlib.i386 0:1.34-2 - development   Install: pm-utils.i386 0:0.01-1 - development   Install: python-elementtree.i386 0:1.2.6-4 - development   Install: sqlite-devel.i386 0:3.1.2-3 - development Total download size: 518 M Is this ok [y/N]: y Downloading Packages: (1/436): apmd-3.2.2-2.i38 100% |====================|  82 kB  (2/436): evolution-2.2.2- 100% |====================| 9.0 MB (3/436): gnome-pilot-2.0. 100% |====================| 520 kB 

After confirming that you want yum to download and install the packages, yum will proceed to do so with no further ado. Once your command prompt returns, your system has been updated. Reboot your computer to ensure that all updates take effect.

Installing Additional Software Using yum

The yum command can also be used as a convenient tool for installing Fedora Core 4 components and their dependencies without having to resort to installing from CD-ROM. For many users with broadband or corporate Internet connections, this is a much easier way to handle the installation of Fedora Core software components. Note that when software components are installed using yum, you gain the added benefit of automatically having installed the latest version of the component in question.

To install software components automatically using yum, just supply the word install and the name of the package that you want to install as arguments to the yum command:

 [you@workstation20 you]# yum install samba 

In a process identical to the one you experience when using yum for updates, yum will query the update server for the latest version of the software package and all of its dependencies before asking you whether you want to download and install them.

Once again, answer Y and yum will go to work, downloading and installing the Fedora Core 4 component that you have requested.