Understanding YaST2- how to install RPM packages
 

Hi folks :)

This is my first post... go easy on me! I've recently installed SuSE Linux 9.0- primarily because I'm absolutely sick to death of Windows. I confess now that I am far from the most technical-minded person.

Having just about managed the installation of the operating system itself, I now want to start installing other things I download from the web (although annoyingly, I can't get my modem to work on Linux, so I'm having to boot into Windows to use the net at the moment. Not ideal!). A lot of things come in .rpm files and I understand that YaST2 is the program SuSE uses to install such files.

So the question is... when I get an .rpm file, what do I do with it? How do I install it?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Mogh :)

Hi. I don't have an answer for dealing with rpms. I'm new to Linux myself. However, your modem problem I do understand. Linux systems won't work with what are called "winmodems", which are software-based modems designed speciffically for Windows. You'd need a driver, but as yet Linux doesn't have many to solve this problem. They do have some, so you could try. Try checking out WinModems and Linux How-To as a place to start.

If you get DSL, or Cable, you shouldn't have this problem, but the easiest thing to do if you're sticking with dial-up is to go buy a hardware-based modem. That's what I had to do. They work better anyway, since they don't take up the CPU power that software-based modems do. I found one at Circuit City for a little under 50 bucks. They are generally external modems, but make sure that if you do want an internal harware modem that your computer has the right slot for it. Mine only has PCI slots, so I wound up having to return the modem I bought because it was AGP, and I have yet to see one for PCI.

Sorry I couldn't answer your rpm questions, but I hope this dispells some of the mystery for you about your modem problems. Hardware modems are more expensive, but if you are using dial-up, I think it's worth it, if you can afford it, because they do work better. If you get one and install it, your linux system should recognize the new hardware when you start it up.

good luck, sunghero

more links: WinModems are Not Modems
Hardware modem for $17 bucks!
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Assuming you are using the KDE environment in SuSE, click on the SuSE menu button (left end of the tray), and click on Control Centre. Then click on YaST2 modules. Click on Software. At the top of the list, click on 'Change source of Installation". You will have to supply the root password to gain access to the next screen. In that screen, on the right side, you will see the default location for installation rpms (probably cdrom), expecting rpm's to be installed from CD. At the bottom of the screen, click on 'Add", and add the full path to the directory which holds the rpms you've downloaded.
Now, on the left side of the screen, click on 'Install and remove software". Again, supply root password. The next screen takes a while to appear. SuSE will present you with a complete list of installed software in a pair of panes; one for software category, and another listing the software in each category. Select the category for the rpm you wish to install, and you should see the rpms you've downloaded. Just click once in the box beside the package name, and click 'Accept' at the bottom of the screen. YaST will take care of the rest.