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Installation of yum

Our update subscription service is based around a modified version of the yum client. You can download this modified version from our download page along with a brief overview of the installation process. If you require more information about yum and the installation process it is suggested that you read the rest of this page. If you are happy with yum and the installation of the subscription key, it is possible that everything you need to know will be found on that page.

Once you have downloaded Pie Box yum you need to log in as the root user and change to the directory containing the RPMTM package. Type:

  • /bin/rpm -Uvh yum-2.0.8-1.piebox.1.noarch.rpm
to install the Pie Box yum. If you already have yum installed it will be upgraded to a version that is compatible with our subscription system. If you have an existing yum configuration file this will be kept as /etc/yum.conf.rpmsave. If you have defined repositories, this new version will still be able to access all of your existing yum repositories. You need to migrate your settings from /etc/yum.conf.rpmsave to /etc/yum.conf in order to achieve this.

In order to access Pie Box updates using the subscription system yum requires configuration by installing your subscription key. This is detailed in the following section. If you do not have a subscription key, please purchase one before continuing.

Installing Subscription To Updates

A subscription key will have been sent to you that is valid for a specified period of time. This subscription key will look a little like this:
  • Subscription-894jkhfd8wshykg34e8sd7uydsl223jj
In order to use this key it must be placed inside your /etc/yum.key file. Modify the configuration file as root by opening /etc/yum.key in a text editor. Add the text "key = " followed by your subscription key. For example, you might add:
  • key = Subscription-894jkhfd8wshykg34e8sd7uydsl223jj
for the key above.

The following section describes how you can validate that the subscription key has been successfully installed. If this test fails for some reason please revisit this section and ensure that you have followed the steps outlined.

Testing Your Subscription

The best way of testing that your installation of Pie Box yum and subscription key have worked is to perform a check for available updates. This will not only validate your subscription, but also highlight any areas in which your system may require attention. The subscription check could be performed as root by typing:
  • /usr/bin/yum check-update
If you receive an error message during this process please confirm that you have completed all of the steps outlined above. If you do not receive an error message your Pie Box installation is complete and you can use our subscription based update service for package updates and installations. The details of this are described in the following sections.

Installation Of Updates

Package updates from the Pie Box subscription based service are performed using the standard yum update method. By logging in as root and typing:
  • /usr/bin/yum update
you can update all of the packages on your system that are currently out of date. If there are additional dependencies that need to be met, these will be installed. For more information about yum, it is recommended that you look at the yum manpage.

As well as package updates, yum is a versatile package that can be used for package installation. The following section described briefly how this could be performed.

Installation Of Packages

Occasionally you will find that a package available in Pie Box Enterprise Linux that you require has not been installed on your system. When this is the case, you can use the Pie Box repositories and subscription service to install the missing package. For example, if you wanted to install "The Gimp", login as root and type:
  • /usr/bin/yum install gimp
The package will be downloaded along with any required dependencies and be installed. If you require any more information about this process, it is recommended that you consult the yum manpage.

If the answer to your question has not been found in this documentation, please consult the FAQ, yum manpage and yum website. If you still cannot solve an issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.