Chapter 1. Getting Started with the GNOME Desktop / 1.16. Managing Software Packages and Updates
	1.15. Controlling Sound		1.17. Other Useful Programs

Managing Software Packages and Updates

The ZENworks® tools serve as graphical front-ends for the ZENworks Management Daemon (zmd), allowing you to easily install or remove software, apply security updates, and manage services and catalogs.

Getting Permissions

Managing packages on a Linux system requires root privileges. Software Updater and rug (a new command line tool for installing and updating packages) have their own user management system that allows users to install software updates. When a user first invokes an action that requires special privileges in the ZEN tools, a prompt for the root password appears. When the password has been verified, Software Updater automatically adds the user's account to the user management system with update permissions. To review or change these settings, use the rug user management commands.

For more information, see rug User Management in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Deployment Guide.

Obtaining and Installing Software Updates

Software Updater resides in the notification area of your panel as an icon depicting a globe, which changes color and appearance depending on the availability of a network link and new updates. Once a day, Software Updater automatically checks whether updates for your system are available (right-click the application icon and select Refresh to force an immediate check). The Software Updater applet in the panel changes from a globe to an exclamation mark on an orange background when new updates are available.

Left-click the panel icon to open the updater window. A list of patches and new package versions are display (if available). Each entry has a short description and, if applicable, a category icon: Security patches are marked with a yellow shield. Optional patches are marked with a light blue circle. Recommended patches are not marked with an icon. Security patches are listed first, then recommended patches, optional patches, and new package versions. Use the All, Packages, and Patches links to filter the list of displayed packages.

	Note
Officially released updates from Novell show up as Patches. New package versions from other sources show up as Packages.

To get details about a certain entry, select the entry and click the Details link under the list window. To select an entry for installation, select the entry's check box. Use the All and None links to select or deselect all patches. Click Update to install the selected programs.

Figure 1.18. Software Updater

Installing Software

To install software packages, click Computer+Install Software or enter zen-installer in a terminal. The interface is almost identical to the Software Updater; the only difference is a search panel you can use to search for single packages or to filter the list.

Figure 1.19. Software Installer

Select the packages that you want to install, then click Install to start the package installation. Possible dependencies on other packages are automatically resolved by the installer.

Removing Software

To remove software packages, click Computer+More Applications+System+Remove Software or enter zen-remover in a terminal.

Figure 1.20. Software Remover

Use the Products, Patterns, Packages, and Patches links to narrow the list of packages. Select the packages you want to remove, then click Remove to start the package uninstallation. If other packages depend on the packages you selected, those packages will be removed as well. You must confirm the removal of additional packages. If you click Cancel in the confirmation dialog, no packages are uninstalled.

Configuring the Software Updater

To configure the ZENworks tools, click Configure in the Software Updater window. A dialog box with three tabs opens:

Services

Services are basically sources that provide software packages and information about these packages. Each service can offer one or more catalogs.

The Service tab lists all services available together with type and status information (if you cannot see the latter two, adjust the window size). Use Remove Service or Add Service to add or remove services. The following service types are available:

YUM

An HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP server using the RPM-MD format for the package data.

ZYPP

ZYPP services are the YaST installation sources added with Software+Installation Source in YaST. Use the Software Updater or YaST to add installation sources. The source you initially installed from (DVD or CD-ROM in most cases) is preconfigured. If you change or delete this source, replace it with another valid installation source (ZYPP service), or you will not be able to install new software.

	Note
The terms YaST installation source, YaST package repository, and ZYPP service are the same name for a source from which you can install software.

Mount

With Mount, you embed a directory mounted on your machine. This is useful if, for example, you are in a network that regularly mirrors the Novell YUM server and exports its content to the local network. To add the directory, provide the full path to the directory in Service URI.

NU

NU stands for Novell Update. Novell provides updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise exclusively as NU service. If you configured update during installation, the official Novell NU server is already present in the list.

If you skipped the update configuration during installation, run the suse_register command in a terminal or click Software+Product Registration in YaST as root. The Novell Update server is automatically added to the Software Updater.

RCE and ZENworks

Opencarpet, Red Carpet Enterprise, or ZENworks services are only available if your company or organization has set up these services within your internal network. This might, for example, be the case if your organization is using third-party software for which updates are deployed on a single server.

After SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is installed, two services are preconfigured: your installation source (DVD, CD-ROM, or network resource) as a ZYPP service, and a SUSE Linux Enterprise update server as a service, which is added during product registration. Normally, there is no need to change these settings. If you do not see a service, open a terminal and execute the suse_register command as root. A service is added automatically.

Catalogs

Services are able to provide packages for different pieces of software or for different software versions (typically RCE or ZENworks services do so). These are organized in different categories called catalogs. Subscribe or unsubscribe from a catalog by marking or unmarking the check box in front of it.

At the moment, the SUSE Linux services (YUM and ZYPP) do not provide different catalogs. Each service only has one catalog. If the Software Updater was configured during installation or with suse_register, it subscribes to the YUM and ZYPP catalogs automatically. If you manually add a service, you must subscribe to its catalogs.

	Warning
To install packages from a catalog, you must be subscribed to this catalog. If you unsubscribe, the packages from this catalog are still listed in the update window, but you cannot install them.

Preferences

On the Preferences tab, specify whether Software Updater should be launched at startup or not. As the root user, you can also modify the Software Updater settings. As a nonprivileged user, you can only view the settings. See the rug man page for an explanation of the settings.