Users of Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) were probably accustomed to using a command called “up2date” to update and install security patches and new software releases on their servers. As many well know, however, RHEL is based on the Fedora code base, and Fedora never relied on up2date. Instead, Fedora uses a package management system called YUM.
YUM has been a long time in the making, and it was expected that it would eventually be the main Redhat packaging system. Now that it is, it is important for users new to RHEL 5 or CentOS to know the differences. Here are some quick and easy steps:
1. Register your system with RHN (Redhat Network): # rhn_register
2. Display an updated software list: # yum list updates
3. Install all updates: # yum update
If you only want to apply certain updates and not others, you can search for specific packages with:
# yum list {package-name}
For example, if you wanted to find “mysql”, you would enter: # yum list mysql
Once you get started with YUM, you will see its advantages and ease of use, making RHEL5 or CentOS a breeze for you. Even if you are new to the server, you will be up-to-date and secure in no time.