Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and its derivative CentOS 5 includes an extensive list of applications that can be easily added or removed. This guide will show you how to do it using the Package Manager tool.

Install Package (GUI)

This section describes how to use the Package Manager to install a package.

Add/Remove Software1. Click Applications and click Add/Remove Software. This will launch the Package Manager window.
Package Manager2. Select the Category of the package on the left column. On the right column, check the package you wish to install or uncheck it to remove it.
Package Manager3. Click Optional packages to to check or uncheck the individual application inside the package you wish to install or remove respectively. Click Close when you’re done.
Package ManagerYou can also check or uncheck the individual applications by searching for it in the Search tab.
Package ManagerOr you can locate individual applications in a list by clicking the List tab.
Package Manager4. Finally, click Apply. You will be asked to verify your changes. Just click Continue to proceed.

Install Package (Console)

The yum command is used to install a package from the console. You need to have root level access to use the commands below.
  • yum install package1 [package2]
    installs the specified package(s)
  • yum update package1 [package2]
    updates the specified package(s)
  • yum remove package1 [package2]
    removes the specified package(s)
  • yum info package1 [package2]
    shows the information for the specified package(s)
  • yum search string1 [string2]
    finds all packages wherein the name, description or summary matches the specified string(s)
  • yum localinstall rpmfile1 [rpmfile2]
    installs the specified rpm file(s)
  • yum localupdate rpmfile1 [rpmfile2]
    updates the rpm file(s)
  • yum update
    updates all packages
  • yum list installed
    shows all the installed packages
  • yum list updates
    shows all the packages that has updates available

Visit the forum to ask for help or to give a comment.

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Posted on 4/23/2007 and last updated on 8/29/2010
Filed under CentOS 5 , Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 , System Administration