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Package Management¶

Prerequisites¶

Root or sudo privileges
Network connectivity for repository access

Quick Reference¶

Action	Command
Search	`dnf search <term>`
Find by command	`dnf provides */bin/<command>`
Info	`dnf info <pkg>`
List Installed	`dnf list installed`
Install	`dnf install <pkg>`
Remove	`dnf remove <pkg>`
Update	`dnf update`
Clean Cache	`dnf clean all`
History	`dnf history`

Procedure: Search for a Package¶

When to use: You need a tool but don't know the exact package name.

Steps:

Search by name or description:
```
dnf search <keyword>
```
Find which package provides a specific command:
```
dnf provides */bin/dig
```
Output shows bind-utils — the package that contains the dig binary.

This works for any command. For example, to find who provides htpasswd:
```
dnf provides */bin/htpasswd
```
Get detailed information about a package:
```
dnf info <package_name>
```
List all installed packages:
```
dnf list installed
```

Troubleshooting:

"No matches found": Try a broader keyword, or use dnf provides */<command> without the bin/ prefix.

Procedure: Install a Package¶

When to use: Installing new software from configured repositories.

Steps:

Install a package:
```
dnf install <package_name>
```
Install a specific version:
```
dnf install <package_name>-<version>
```
Confirm installation:
```
rpm -q <package_name>
```

Troubleshooting:

"Unable to find a match": Check spelling, or try searching first. The package might require an extra repository (like EPEL).

Procedure: Update All Packages¶

When to use: Routine system maintenance to apply security patches and bug fixes.

Steps:

Check for available updates:
```
dnf check-update
```
Install all updates:
```
dnf update -y
```
(Optional) Update only security-related packages:
```
dnf update --security
```

Troubleshooting:

Slow downloads: Mirrors might be slow. Ctrl+C and retry, or clean cache.

Procedure: Clean Package Cache¶

When to use: Metadata is stale, checksum errors, or freeing up disk space.

Steps:

Clean all cached metadata and packages:
```
dnf clean all
```
Rebuild the cache (happens automatically on next dnf command, but can be forced):
```
dnf makecache
```

Troubleshooting:

If dnf is still broken after cleaning: Check internet connectivity and DNS.

Procedure: Add a Repository¶

When to use: Installing software not present in standard repositories (e.g., EPEL, Docker).

Steps:

Install EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux):
```
dnf install epel-release
```

Add a custom repo via config-manager:

dnf config-manager --add-repo <url_to_repo>

Verify the new repo is enabled:
```
dnf repolist
```

Troubleshooting:

"404 Not Found": The repo URL might be incorrect or not support your OS version.

Concepts: Package Management