Updating RPMs

Red Hat keeps the most up-to-date RPMs available in a storehouse known as Rawhide. It s easy to access with any FTP client. As of this writing, you can find Rawhide RPMs on the Red Hat FTP server in the /pub/redhat/linux/rawhide directory.

If you want to upgrade a specific RPM, download it from Rawhide to a directory such as /tmp . Back up your current configuration as it relates to that package. If possible, use the rpm command to install ( -i ) and not upgrade ( -U ) the new package. If you have a problem, it s easier to restore the original configuration. You ll see an example of this process when you learn to upgrade the Linux kernel in Chapter 12 .