How to Install an RPM Package in Linux

Managing RPM packages is a core skill for system administrators working with Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and similar distributions. This guide covers direct and dependency-resolving methods, plus relevant troubleshooting steps—all based on practical field experience.

When Direct RPM Installation is Appropriate

Sometimes, you’ll need to install a package that isn’t available in your system’s repositories (e.g., a vendor-provided .rpm for a closed-source driver or tool). For example, installing a specific version of google-chrome-stable outside the default repos. The process isn’t always straightforward: dependency resolution can become a bottleneck.

Step 1: Download the RPM

curl -OL https://download.example.com/sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm

• Use curl -OL to retain the original filename and show download progress.
• Always verify the source; avoid third-party mirrors unless absolutely trusted.

Step 2: Verify the Package Integrity (Optional)

Before installation, it’s advisable to check the signature and package metadata. In practice, signature validation is often skipped on internal or trusted network blobs, but isn’t a luxury with external downloads.

rpm -Kv sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm
# Output example:
# sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm:
#   Header V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID f4a80eb5: OK
#   V4 RSA/SHA256 Signature, key ID f4a80eb5: OK

For more granular insight into the package:

rpm -qpi sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm

Note: Inconsistent signatures (e.g., “NOT OK”) often indicate proxy corruption or tampering; do not proceed unless expected.

Step 3: Install Using the Low-Level rpm Tool

Direct installs don’t resolve dependencies:

sudo rpm -ivh sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm

• -i for install
• -v for verbose
• -h for hash progress
• -U will upgrade if already installed

Sample error:

error: Failed dependencies:
	libfoo.so.2()(64bit) is needed by sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64

Known Issue: Repetitive rpm installs trying to fix broken dependencies quickly becomes cyclical—avoid unless scripting or locked-down environments require it.

Step 4: Install with Dependency Resolution (Preferred Method)

For end-user workflows, always use dnf or (on legacy systems) yum. These tools manage dependencies by pulling required libraries from enabled repositories.

sudo dnf install ./sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm

• On RHEL/CentOS 7 and below: sudo yum localinstall ./sample-package-1.0.2.el7.x86_64.rpm

Why the ./ path?
dnf treats files with a relative path as local packages, enabling dependency resolution. Omitting ./ may cause dnf to search only repositories.

Side Note: Corporate firewalls sometimes block internet access for servers. Without repo access, you must manually download and resolve all dependencies by hand—dependency hell in practice.

Step 5: Confirm Installation

Check if the package is present:

rpm -q sample-package

• Returns package version or “package is not installed”.

Determine the binary’s path and version:

which sample-command
sample-command --version

Gap: Not all packages provide commands or user-facing binaries; sometimes they’re libraries or plugins—consult documentation or use rpm -ql sample-package to list installed files.

Known Operations and Practical Tips

• Remove a package:

  sudo rpm -e sample-package
  

• List all installed RPM packages:

  rpm -qa | grep sample
  

• View installation scripts and triggers:

  rpm -q --scripts sample-package
  

• Batch-upgrade all system packages:

  sudo dnf upgrade      # Fedora/RHEL 8+
  sudo yum update       # CentOS/RHEL 7 and below
  

  Note: Use with caution on production systems; major upgrades can break custom or legacy workloads.

Non-obvious Tip

When debugging unresolved dependencies, use:

dnf repoquery --requires --resolve ./sample-package-1.0.2.el9.x86_64.rpm

This command details not just metadata, but actual RPMs needed—often clarifying chains of secondary requirements.

Bottom Line

Direct use of rpm -i offers control, but at significant risk of dependency issues. Wherever possible, use dnf install ./package.rpm instead; it’s smarter, faster, and reduces post-install surprises. Do not run local RPM installs as root except on trusted files, and, critically, avoid bypassing dependency management unless you know every library is in place.

When installation fails, check firewall, DNS, and dnf repolist status. Still stuck? Examine /var/log/dnf.log for more granular error output.

No approach is flawless—sometimes manual intervention or a scratch-built .spec is required. That's a subject for another day.