RPM & DNF Guide (RHCSA Exam Focus)

This guide covers RPM and DNF package management commands relevant to the RHCSA exam.
Use this as a reference for study and practice.

1. RPM (Red Hat Package Manager)

Check if a package is installed 

rpm -q package_name

List all installed packages 

rpm -qa

Get package info 

rpm -qi package_name

List files installed by a package 

rpm -ql package_name

Find which package owns a file 

rpm -qf /path/to/file

Verify a package (check for missing/corrupted files) 

rpm -V package_name

Install a package (local .rpm file) 

rpm -ivh package_name.rpm

Upgrade a package 

rpm -Uvh package_name.rpm

Remove a package 

rpm -e package_name

2. DNF (Dandified YUM)

DNF is the default package manager in RHEL 8/9.

Search for a package 

dnf search package_name

Get package info 

dnf info package_name

Install a package 

dnf install package_name -y

Remove a package 

dnf remove package_name -y

Update all packages 

dnf update -y

Check for available updates 

dnf check-update

Upgrade a package 

dnf upgrade package_name -y

Reinstall a package 

dnf reinstall package_name

List installed packages 

dnf list installed

List available packages 

dnf list available

List package groups 

dnf group list

Install a group of packages 

dnf groupinstall "Server with GUI" -y

Remove a group of packages 

dnf groupremove "Server with GUI" -y

3. Repository Management

Show enabled repositories 

dnf repolist enabled

Show all repositories (enabled + disabled) 

dnf repolist all

Temporary enable/disable repo 

dnf --enablerepo=repo_name install package_name
dnf --disablerepo=repo_name install package_name

Permanently enable/disable a repo

Edit the repo file under:

/etc/yum.repos.d/*.repo

Example section in .repo file:

[baseos]
name=RHEL BaseOS
baseurl=http://content.example.com/rhel9/baseos
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1

4. Exam Tips & Tricks

  • Know how to install, update, and remove packages with dnf.
  • Be familiar with rpm -qf for finding which package owns a file.
  • Understand how to list repos and edit .repo files under /etc/yum.repos.d/.
  • Be able to verify package integrity using rpm -V.
  • Practice group installs for environments like Server with GUI.

Practice Scenarios

  1. Verify which package owns /bin/ls.
  2. Install the httpd package and verify its version.
  3. Enable a disabled repo and install a package from it.
  4. Perform a group installation for "Development Tools".
  5. Remove vsftpd and confirm it is gone.

This guide aligns with RHCSA exam objectives for RPM/DNF package management.