Package management in Linux operating systems is an essential part of system maintenance and administration. Among the two most widely used tools for package management in Red Hat-based distributions are YUM (Yellowdog Updater Modified) and DNF (Dandified YUM). These tools allow users to easily install, update, and remove software and its dependencies. In this article, we will delve into how to use these tools for software installation and updates.
YUM: Installing and Updating Software
YUM is an older tool that has long been a standard for Red Hat and CentOS before the arrival of DNF. Nevertheless, it remains an important and widely used package management tool.
Installing Software with YUM:
To install a package using YUM, use the following command:
yum install package_name
This command will search for the specified package in the repositories, resolve its dependencies, and install it along with all necessary dependencies.
Updating Software with YUM:
To update all installed packages to their latest available versions, you can use:
yum update
If you want to update a specific package, use:
yum update package_name
DNF: Installing and Updating Software
DNF is a newer tool that came as a replacement for YUM with the aim of improving performance and addressing some shortcomings of its predecessor. DNF uses libsolvers (rpm-ostree, libsolv) for better dependency resolution and more efficient package management.
Installing Software with DNF:
To install a package:
dnf install package_name
Similar to YUM, DNF automatically searches for the required package and its dependencies and installs them.
Updating Software with DNF:
To update all packages:
dnf update
Or for a specific package:
dnf update package_name
DNF also offers advanced options such as "dnf history" to view transaction history or "dnf autoremove" to remove unnecessary dependencies.
Managing software with YUM and DNF is crucial for keeping Linux systems secure and up to date. Although DNF gradually replaces YUM as the preferred tool for newer distributions, both provide effective methods for package management. It is important to familiarize yourself with these tools and use them regularly for managing software on your system.
