Package Management

Package Management

Tuesday, we looked at configuring your dialup connection via KDE’s KPPP. KDE is full of these convenient GUI apps designed specifically for configuring elements of your system that might be a bit daunting for new Linux users. Today, we’ll look at another - kpackage - the KDE package management system.

As you know, many programs can be installed, uninstalled and verified using the RedHat Package Management (rpm) system. It’s about as close as you’ll get to a Windows-style installation scheme. It’s robust and, for the most part, very stable. For package management in Linux, rpm is rivalled only by apt-get in Debian-based systems.

kpackage is available in the KDE environment from the KDE Application Starter menu (the big K icon on the panel). Inside the application starter you’ll find a Utilities menu. There’ll you’ll find kpackage.

Selecting kpackage in the utilities menu opens a window with a listing of all the currently installed packages. These packages are broken out by package type, including editors, network, printing, etc. Selecting a type will open a submenu listing the related programs. Selecting any of these packages will open a description in the right pane of the kpackage window.

kpackage can be used to perform all package management functions, including installing, removing and verifying packages. To install a package, click on the File menu and select Open to point kpackage to the location of the rpm you’d like to install. Once the package is selected and found by your system, an install screen opens. You can select from upgrade, replace, dependency checking, testing options in the left pane. Once you’ve chosen the appropriate option, click on the Install button to perform the action.

To uninstall via kpackage, select the installed package and click Uninstall from the package description window. It’s just that simple.

If you’re concerned about the authenticity or integrity of a package, you can verify it with kpackage, as well. Select the Options menu, the Options menu item, and click on the Misc tab. Click the checkbox for Verify File List, then select the package for verification from the package list window. Once you’ve selected the package, a list of all the included files will open in the right pane. Anything other than a green check mark beside the file name indicates a problem with the file. In that event, it’s usually a good idea to uninstall the package after downloading a recent update, then install the new version.

Package managment in Linux is a significant advance over older systems. With kpackage, you can install, remove and verify all the packages on your system with a few simple mouse clicks.