RPM Files.... They just don't like me!
 

Well I am obviously new to linux and I am having trouble installing things with rpm packages...

I have tried the following to install a rpm package...
logged in as root.... tried to just double click on the file in my gnome gui... the "installer" opened when I did this... and some files would just kinda start up then close on me.. but some would let me hit continue to fully install the package (I don't know why some install and some don't)
I think tried to go terminal based... I went to the directory where the rpm's were located.. and typed : rpm -U filename.rpm ...... and the files just hang... then I tried: rpm -Uvh filename.rpm so I could see some progress... but nothing comes up... the system just "hangs"... (it doesn't go back to the prompt).. (I let it run for a while to)


am I doing something fundamentally wrong here??

I am using Red Hat 9 with all my updates installed (from the update utility)....


any help would be great


thanks

I had to use -> rpm -ivh package-name-here.rpm <--- from the terminal (logged in as root) to get my linux system to install anything

hmm, you *might* have a stale lock file stuck in the rpm system. try the console command again, but add a couple of extra -v's to see what's really going on. if i remember vaguely correctly, the lock file should be in /var/db/rpm/ or along those lines.

Which distro are you using?

red hat ....9

I don't actually seem to have any directories or files in my /var/db/ directory...

this seems to be working for me.... I though -U would work no matter what.. I guess if I don't have the file Ineed a good -i or nothing haha

thanks

try /var/lib/rpm

I recommend using apt

http://freshrpms.net/apt/

It is similiar to the Debian tool and will pretty much keep you out of rpm dependency hell.

yeah apt is really easy to use u just type apt-get install <package name> and it will download it from the net and its dependancies also and install it for u.

to make things even easier there is a gui for it called synaptic

http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/

hi
I had no problems for a while
but about a week , I have the same problem
the only solution I found was to restart the computer!! even logging out/in didn't work to prevent rpm for hanging
each time it goes mad , just a kill -s KILL helps , and after that , a restart!!


anyone found a way?