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OLE: Package Management with RPM, DNF/YUM, Oracle Repositories, and ULN

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Package Management with RPM, DNF/YUM, Oracle Repositories, and ULN

This domain covers the two-layer packaging model on Oracle Linux: low-level RPM queries and verification, DNF transactions and module streams, and where packages come from - public yum.oracle.com repositories versus the Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN).

RPM below DNF

  • Database lives in /var/lib/rpm. Key queries: rpm -qa, rpm -qi, rpm -ql, rpm -qf /usr/sbin/semanage, rpm -qp --scripts pkg.rpm, rpm -V openssh-server.
  • rpm -Uvh installs files but resolves no dependencies and ignores repositories - prefer DNF for anything that has dependencies.
  • Trust chain: rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-oracle makes gpgcheck=1 succeed.

DNF operations

  • dnf install, dnf remove, dnf provides "*/bin/semanage", dnf repoquery -l pkg, dnf history undo 12, dnf clean all, dnf --enablerepo=ol9_addons install ....
  • Modules (OL8/OL9): dnf module list nodejs, dnf module enable nodejs:18, dnf module install nodejs:18, dnf module reset nodejs.
  • Config: /etc/dnf/dnf.conf (gpgcheck=1, installonly_limit=3) and /etc/yum.repos.d/*.repo; dnf config-manager --set-enabled ol9_addons toggles a repo.
  • On OL8 and later yum is a symlink to dnf.

Oracle repositories and ULN

  • Public repository IDs follow patterns such as ol9_baseos_latest, ol9_appstream, ol9_addons, ol9_UEKR7, ol8_developer_EPEL, ol8_ksplice. BaseOS plus AppStream is the minimum usable set; kernel-uek updates come from the UEK repository.
  • ULN (uln.oracle.com) is entitlement-based: a system is registered, associated with channels and errata, and receives update notifications. Public yum.oracle.com is free but carries no support entitlement or errata tracking.

Worked example

An application needs Node.js 18, but dnf install nodejs offers 16. Run dnf module list nodejs, then dnf module enable nodejs:18, then install; verify with node -v and dnf module list --installed. Reasoning: the module stream, not the package name, selects the version.

Traps

  • rpm -e --nodeps leaves broken dependency chains.
  • Enabling a stream after a non-modular package of the same name is installed fails until it is removed or reset.
  • Forgetting to import the GPG key produces "Public key not installed" failures.
  • After switching repository content, dnf distro-sync is safer than a blind dnf update.