Yet another question from me, I am starting to think I should stick to windows.

Basically I want to upgrade from the current version of KDE I am using to 3.1.1, I am using RH 8.0 Currently.

Basically I downloaded every RPM from, http://public.kde.planetmirror.com/p...Hat/8.0/i386/, and now all I know is I have lots of RPM's sitting in my home directory.

Could someone please give me an english step by step of how to install this thing, I tried reading some of the very few documentations but it results in me getting lost in the jargon in the first few lines.

Basically treat me like an idiot (not hard) and I should be right, any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

First of all, you cannot run from KDE while you upgrade KDE. You will have to
use Gnome or bash. Also you will not be able to use KDM login manager so you
should have a way to boot Linux into a bash shell or Gnome without using KDM.
Also kpackage will be unusable and you will have to use the command line rpm.
Be sure that you have all of the old rpms and the new rpms available. You
probably cannot access the internet without KDE and it is a pain to rebuild KDE
3.0.3, download a missing package, and start over.

The packages you need to upgrade fall into these groups: KDE, some arts
packages, Qt, and some dynamic libraries such as libxslt. Not only do you need
all of the dependencies but they must be the correct versions, KDE 3.1.1 will
not work with Qt 3.0.3 for example.

Start taking out the old packages from the top of the dependency tree. The
order of group removal is KDE, arts packages, Qt, and dynamic libraries.
In KDE, kdebase3 is the last package to uninstall. In Qt, Qt3 is the last
package to uninstall. If a package will not uninstall because of dependency
problems, skip over it and come back later. Occasionally you will find that
package X will not uninstall because it is needed by package Y and package Y
will not uninstall because it is needed by package X. When you have isolated
such a circular argument take both X and Y out using --nodeps.

After you have uninstalled everything, start installing the new packages in the
reverse order of the uninstall. X and Y will reappear again as dependency
problems and after you have isolated them use --nodeps again.

Run ldconfig as root or su.

Of the various Gnome and KDE upgrades that I have done KDE 3.0.3 to KDE
3.1.1 went the smoothest. I did not even lose my KDE settings.

Ok, well as I said I am a real newbie so I will ask a few questions before I kill linux (again).

Firstly it seems really daunting is it worth it?

Secondly how do I find out where the dependency tree is, also where do I find the KDE directories. I am not really familier with Linux file systems yet as to where they store things like Gnome and KDE.

Thirdly what will ldconfig do?

Fourthly after I have installed all the new RPM's do I just reboot and it loads up 3.1.1?


Thank you very much for your help, by the way I noticed your distro is SuSE but you ARE talking about for RH 8.0 right?


Thanks heaps.

1. It depends on the phase of the moon and what you had for breakfast.

2. You learn the dependency tree by using:
rpm --test i x.rpm
against every rpm, both old and new,

3. ldconfig builds the directory to your dynamic libraries. You have to run it whenever you change a dynamic library, such as libxmlt2. Red Hat probably runs it every time you boot.

4. In the case of KDE 3.0.3 to KDE 3.1.1, yes. Actually if you have run ldconfig you probably don't have to reboot, just startx.

extra credit: rpm works the same on Mandrake, Red Hat, and SuSE.

You can learn the dependency tree for KDE 3.1.1 by using:
rpm --test -i X.rpm

You can learn the dependency tree for KDE 3.0.3 by using:
rpm --test -e X

The two trees will be similar but not exactly the same.

Thank for your comments.
I am also newbie and facing the same problem.
I am worry about these questions:

I have to find out the old kde rpm to uninstall the old kde....
Where can I find it?
is it in some folders or I have to get them from the web?

Also, are the files provided by KDE web site is enough ( or more than enough ) to upgrade from KDE 3.0.0 to 3.1.1 ?
I have wrongly install 3.1.1 without remove 3.0.0 before , when I install arts It told me that the package need Qt3.1.2-devel but I cannot find it...
( I have format the machine and reinstall the linux since ... I have wrongly installed many package to Linux and lead to an happy error... )

Thx

________________________________________________________________________
I have to find out the old kde rpm to uninstall the old kde....
Where can I find it?
is it in some folders or I have to get them from the web?

You can find the old rpm names in your rpm data base. Use this command to list
your rpm names to a file:
rpm -qa > /home/user/my.rpm.list.txt
________________________________________________________________________
where do I find the KDE directories.

Use the following command to find where an old package installs its files:
rpm --list -q X

Use the following command to find where a new package installs its files:
rpm --list -qp /filepath/X.rpm
________________________________________________________________________
Also, are the files provided by KDE web site is enough ( or more than enough )
to upgrade from KDE 3.0.0 to 3.1.1 ?

No. KDE provides only KDE packages. To get the Qt packages you have to go to
Trolltech. As a general rule a developer site like KDE or Trolltech only
provides their own software.

The place to go for a complete set of packages for KDE 3.1.1 is your
distributor. Mandrake, Red Hat and SuSE often provide complete upgrade packages
for major components such as gcc, Gnome, KDE, and Mozilla (download for free).
________________________________________________________________________
I have format the machine and reinstall the linux since ... I have wrongly
installed many package to Linux and lead to an happy error...

It happens to everybody. You know that you are a Linux pro when you can
completely mess up your Linux box and then fix it without having to do a
complete reinstall.
________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for your useful comment!!!
I am now upgraded to KDE3.1.1
and have a beautiful skin!!!

I think I would stick to Linux for a while
( if the LICQ support Chinese I would stick on it for a very long time )

Thank you!!!

p.s. it is no surprise that many non kde package dependence on qt. Instead of destory the qt, I use rpm -U X.rpm to do the upgrade. The package version in the list have been updated. I think it is okey.

I have forgoten to say...
next time when I install Linux
I would only install the Gnome
and use the Gnome to clean install the kde
I think it is a better method to get the new kde....

If I can download packages without UI I think I will not install any UI next time...

The method of upgrading KDE that I described is slow, methodical, and tedious. Once you understand what you are doing you can find faster and easier ways to do it. You have found two faster ideas so far.

I received the following email through the LinuxQuestions forum. I am posting
the question annd my answer so that it is available to everybody.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve -I tried to upgrade KDE to 3.1 from 3.04 after PDF security advisory.Total Newbie! Downloaded RPM packages from SuSE. [Running SuSE 8.1 on dual drive with XP on second slave drive] Appreciated your comment that you know you got linux licked when a complete reinstall is not necessary- to solve problem. Not quite there yet,I afraid! Installed all but a few packages. Arts not recognized and 2-3 other wouldn't install due to dependencies. On reboot - boot log ended with with grey screen blinking 2-3 times- defaulting to "linux login". I can root in,but don't know proper fix. Anyway need to preserve BIOS set up-for ability to keep XP option open. What command line do I want to type in to wipe the drive,
accept for BIOS if possible. Any suggestions as I need a tutorial not offered in books.

Thanks, Mike
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Relax, you can fix everything from the parts of your Linux system that still
work. It will be complicated and you may feel more comfortable doing a
complete reinstall. But messing around with the portion of Linux you still have will at best fix the problem and at worse make a complete reinstall absolutely necessary. You are worried about losing your BIOS but I think that you mean losing LILO. Messing with KDE will not disturb LILO so you can always boot Windows. And as a last resort doing a complete reinstall will also recreate LILO.

The grey screen blinking three times and then dropping into a bash login simply means that KDM is broken. KDM is the KDE graphical login. It is part of the KDE upgrade that you tried. If KDE is messed up then KDM being broken is to be expected. In the KDE 3.1 package KDM is in kdebase3-kdm-3.1-51.i586.rpm. In the process of fixing KDE you will also fix KDM.

The bash prompt is where you should be doing the upgrade anyway, unless you also have Gnome installed. Fixing your problem is mostly a matter of tedious bookkeeping. Use rpm to find out exactly which KDE, Qt, arts, and dynamic lib packages you currently have installed. Then use rpm to find out all of the various dependencies in the new KDE 3.1
packages.

Then use rpm to remove the wrong packages you have installed and to install the correct new ones.

If you think this is too complicated or if you get yourself even further in the
hole then you should do a reinstall. During the reinstall, format the Linux
partition. Using the SuSE install program to format the Linux partition is
"wiping the drive".

If you run Redhat and are worried about upgrading kde, you should go to this site and follow the easy instructions. No danger here guys..
http://kde-redhat.sourceforge.net

It shows you how to install apt-get, which in my opinion kicks the Red Hat package managers *ss.

If you have high speed internet you can have kde 3.1 up and running in one hour with apt..

Hello,
Pcghost said:
If you have high speed internet you can have kde 3.1 up and running in one hour with apt..

I installed apt-get once I read the above statement, however I am wondering if there is any good info out there on how to use it. Especially, how to upgrade kde. Thanks

Later

I agree that apt-get is far superior to rpm.

But the middle of a screwed up KDE upgrade is not the place to start learning apt-get.

1. Upgrading via the packages you downloaded from KDE.org works. And your login manager (GDM) will be updated and it will work.
2. This is far easier w/ apt.