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4. The Software Media Manager If you are not yet familiar with the interface, please go back to Section 1, Install Software [210] to learn about it. 4. The Software Media Manager This part of Rpmdrake is dedicated to the configuration of the package media repositories. As you can see in Figure 16.5, The Software Media Manager [215] there are some media configured: Main , Contrib , etc. With this tool you can add other software media: a CD from a magazine containing RPMs, a Web repository, etc. Figure 16.5. The Software Media Manager The check boxes in the left-hand columns allow you to flag the repositories:

2. Remove Software 2. Remove Software As this interface works like the Install Software one, we will not repeat its basic functions. The only difference to the installation interface is that you will deal with the already installed packages list from which you’ll choose those you want to remove, instead of those packages which might be useful to install on your computer. 3. Mandriva Linux Update Mandriva now provides an automatic updates service; see Chapter 23, Mandriva Online Services [331]. Once again: if you have already worked with Rpmdrake’s software installation interface, you should feel comfortable with Mandriva Linux Update. But let us look at the details. When you launch this tool, it first asks you to choose an Internet repository to check for updates. You should choose one in a country near you. A small difference to the Install Software interface is the ability to choose which kind of update you want to install on your computer by grouping them in certain ways. You may select: Security updates These updates solve security issues and should be installed as soon as possible. Bugfixes updates These updates fix application misbehavior. Normal updates These updates just bring slight improvements. The other difference is a new text section (Reason for update) inside the package description area. It provides you with information about why this update was made available. This may help you decide if you want to update certain packages or not. When you have a slow Internet connection or you have to pay per MB when you are downloading, it would be wise to read it.

1.2. Searching Packages or in the names of the files stored in the packages). After clicking on the Search button, a new list appears (Search results), showing you the results Rpmdrake found while scanning the packages databases. Let us take a look on the different sort orders: Mandriva Linux choices This sort order shows the list of packages in the four groups you saw during the installation of Mandriva Linux. This is the easier sort order because it focuses on a selected part of the available packages, those which are considered to be the most useful of the distribution. All packages, alphabetical Instead of a tree view, you are presented with a flat list of all available packages you can install on your system. All packages, by group Here you are shown the list of packages grouped by their functions (e.g. Games, System, Video, etc.). All packages, by size Here you get a list sorted by size (the biggest package at the top, the smallest at the bottom of the list). All packages, by selection state If you choose this presentation, you end up with a flat list, in which all selected packages are shown first, the other available packages below them. To make it easier for you, those two parts are sorted alphabetically. This sort order is particularly useful just before the actual package installation, because it helps you to see the selection of packages to be installed. All packages, by medium repository Once again you find the packages sorted alphabetically, but this time they are shown under the name of the data medium they belong to. All packages, by update availability In this mode, you might get two groups of packages: a list of packages which might be added to your machine, and a second list of the packages of which you have an older version already installed on your computer.

1.2. Searching Packages Figure 16.3. Rpmdrake dependency alert box Another possible scenario might be: you want to install a package which requires dependencies, and various packages are capable of providing that dependency. The list of alternatives is then presented (Figure 16.4, Rpmdrake package alternatives [212]). You may read the additional information presented by clicking the Info… button to help you choose the best alternative. Figure 16.4. Rpmdrake package alternatives We will now take a closer look at the search and sort functions provided to ease your job as a system administrator. 1.2. Searching Packages Sometimes you may know about some tool you saw somewhere or you heard of at a friend’s place, now you wonder how to find and install them on your system. It is really easy: just type the name, (or part of the name), in the text area next to the Search button. Then choose, from the pull-down list, where you want to look for it (either in the package name, in the description provided with the package

1.1. Selecting Packages to Install 1.1. Selecting Packages to Install Let us have a closer look at the interface as shown in Figure 16.2, The Software Package Installation interface [210]. A package named frozen-bubble-1.0.07mdk is selected in the tree-view and in the package description area you see the required disk space, a short summary (Frozen Bubble arcade game) and a detailed description (Full-featured, colorful animated penguin eye candy…). If your software medium repository is configured to use complete package lists (not the summary synthesis files, but the full hdlist ones, which happens to be the default option after installing your Mandriva Linux system), you may get more information on the package by choosing the Maximum information radio button in the access-area. In addition you can see a list of the files provided by the package and the change log. The status bar shows you the disk space required by the selected packages as well as the current free space. Please note that due to dependencies, the disk space required by the selected packages might be greater than the size required by the chosen package by itself. Rpmdrake shows you an alert box if you try to install more software than the free available disk space. Nevertheless you may proceed (you may, for example, be able to remove some no longer required files, such as programs downloaded from Internet in the past and which you do not use anymore, to allow the installation to continue). Now you can begin the installation, by simply clicking on the Install button. A new window appears, showing you a progress bar of how your installation is proceeding. If you prefer to leave without doing anything, you can just click on the Quit button. While selecting applications to install, it may happen that you choose a package which requires dependencies (additional libraries or another tool) to work correctly. In this case Rpmdrake displays an information window allowing you to choose whether to accept the selected dependencies, or to Cancel the operation (Fig ure 16.3, Rpmdrake dependency alert box [212]).

1. Install Software 1. Install Software When launching this tool you have to wait a few seconds, while Rpmdrake searches the available packages database. Then you are presented the Software Packages Installation interface. Figure 16.2. The Software Package Installation interface The window is divided into four parts: the upper part offers you some possibilities to manipulate the list of packages you can install. You will find this list in the middle on the left. Next to it, on the right, you have an area where you can find a description of the currently selected package. At the bottom of the window you will find two buttons and information about how much space is required to install the selected packages and how much space you have available on your disk. Additionally, a status bar in the lower part of the window displays messages about actions currently in progress or completed.

Chapter 16. Package Management through Rpmdrake Mandriva Linux uses the RPM packaging system and provides convenient tools to simplify package installation by handling software dependencies automatically. The urpmi set of tools is command line based and discussed briefly in Chapter 39, Package Management From The Command Line [501]; here we will concentrate on Rpmdrake: Mandriva Linux’s graphical software installation tool. Rpmdrake consists of different tools, which you access by choosing one of the entries of System + Configuration + Packaging in the main menu or by clicking on Software Management in the Mandriva Linux Control Center (see Figure 16.1, Software Management in the Mandriva Linux Control Center [209]). Figure 16.1. Software Management in the Mandriva Linux Control Center We recommend that you access Rpmdrake via the Mandriva Linux Control Center.

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3. The Drakbug Reporting Tool To be able to report bugs using Drakbug, you need a working Internet connection as well as a Drakbug account [http://qa.mandriva.com/ createaccount.cgi]. To run Drakbug, go to the Help ..Report Bug menu entry of the faulty tool, or run it from Mandriva Linux Control Center’s own menu. Drakbug can also be triggered automatically by a crashed Mandriva Linux tool. Figure 15.4. Reporting a Bug In order to correctly report a bug, it is important to identify the package it is related to. To make this task easier, enter the application name in the Application Name (or Full Path) field and click on the Find Package button. Click on the Report button. Your web browser will then open. If you are not logged in to the Mandriva Bugzilla web site [http://qa.mandriva.com/] you will be asked to log in (or create an account if you do not have one). Once you are logged on the site, complete the bug report as completely and accurately as possible and click on Commit

2.2. Choosing a Profile at Boot Time 3. Reconfigure your network so that the modem, instead of the network card, is used to access the Internet (see Section 1, Network and Internet Connection Management [253]). 4. Connect to the Internet. 5. When back at the office, switch back to the default profile. 2.2. Choosing a Profile at Boot Time It’s more convenient to specify a profile at boot time than to activate it once the system is booted. drakboot (Section 2, Changing your Boot-up Configuration [326]) allows you to associate a specific profile to each menu entry of the bootloader. Figure 15.3. Associating a Profile to a Boot Entry Create or modify a boot entry in drakboot. In the Advanced options, access the Network profile pull-down menu and select the profile you want to associate to it. 3. The Drakbug Reporting Tool If you encounter unexpected behavior in Mandriva Linux-specific tools, Drakbug allows you to report it to the development team.