Overview

Secrets in This Chapter

• Finding Information about RPMs

• Verifying an RPM

• Building the Software from Source Files

• Building and Testing XMMS

• Upgrading and Customizing the Linux Kernel

• Reconfiguring GRUB

• Rebuilding the Kernel

• Creating a Monolithic versus a Modular Kernel

• Configuring the Kernel

• Building the Kernel

• Rebooting the System to Test the New Kernel

You should know how to install or remove software packages distributed in the form of Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) files because most Red Hat Linux software comes in RPM files. This chapter shows you how to work with RPM files.

Many open-source software packages come in source-code form, usually in compressed archives. You have to build and install the software to use it. This chapter describes the steps you ordinarily follow when downloading, building, and installing source-based software packages.

Next, I briefly describe the Red Hat Network and how, after registering with it, you can use Red Hat's Update agent to update specific Red Hat Linux packages.

Finally, this chapter turns to the subject of configuring and rebuilding the kernel. The last part of this chapter explains how to apply a kernel patch and how to rebuild the Linux kernel.