Error Messages During Installation of RPMs

Question: How do I install an RPM from a CD or the Internet? I keep getting an error message when I use rpm.

If you are getting an error message similar to the following

failed to open /var/lib/rpm/packages.rpm

it is because you do not have proper permission to install RPM files.

When you install software, you are often required to make systemwide changes that only root can make, such as creating new directories outside of your user home directory or making changes to your system configuration. If you are using your normal user account, you will not have permission to make such changes by default.

You need to be the root user in order to install RPM files. At a shell prompt, you can switch to the root user by running the following command:

su

You should then be able to install the RPM package without further errors.

Note

For more information about using RPM and Package Management Tool, see Part V of this book.