How do you install a .rpm file?
 

Specifically, I am trying to install the mplayer browser plugin into Mozilla on SuSE 9.0. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

:)

Well, I have recently made the switch from Communism (aka Windows) to Linux, but as I have seen, you simply execute the .rpm as a normal...thing? (like a double-click, or a select-and-ENTER) and it will self-install.
My problem is I have no idea what to do after it is installed.
From a n00b to a n00b, I hope this helped.

Most GUIs will install an RPM when you double click on it. From the command line, though, you run the rpm command with the -i option to install RPMs. Type 'man rpm' (no quotes) at a command prompt for more details. Get familiar with the man pages, they're a great reference.

start a console, change to the directory where you downloaded the rpm and run

rpm -Uvh packagename.rpm

clicking on an rpm file works on some distros but does not work on most. A good thing to do as well, is to use package managment tools for your distro such as apt/synaptic and yum for Fedora Core and urpmi/gurpmi for Mandrake. Using these tools, you will find that you will find that package managment will be easy and you won't have rpm dependency hell that some people experience when they try and install third party rpms on their systems. Also these tools have graphical frontends which is good for newbies who are not yet very good at working in the console. What distro are you using by the way?

Thanks for the responses. I am using SuSE 9.0 Pro.

Well, I think just clicking an rpm should work on Suse, but it won't do you any harm to learn how to install from the command line.

Clicking on it takes me to a new screen with tabbed windows that all have different information on them. It has a button called "install with Yast". I have tried this button many times. It takes you to the normal software installation program for Yast, but I can't find the .rpm program anywhere there and it doesn't let me browse my harddisk. It's frustrating to say the least.

:cry:

When it takes you to that window, yast won't show any info about the rpm, just click the accept button in the bottom right hand corner of the window, and it will install, it doesn't show any info, but it will install.

One final question. Now that the browser plug-in is installed, how do I get mozilla to start using the mplayer plug-in to play videos? Right now it continues to use Xanim (which doesn't work very well).

Thanks,

almost there