Installing Packages

[oliver79]

Hi all:

Just wondering if someone could give me a step-by-step guide to installing packages one has either downloaded or installed.

One of the issues I have recently come across is that I have installed Debian on a virtual host, this requires vmware tools to be installed! I have downloaded them and they have automatically been placed in CDROM,within which there are two files RPM and TAR! This has caused confusion, as what do I do with them?

I could really do with a beginners guide, i.e. where to put files? How to open them up? and then do necessary configuration, etc ...

Any help very much appreciated.

Oliver

[daark.child]

Debian does not use RPM files, it uses Debian packages (debs). As for installing software on Linux systems, take a look here.

[Thinker]

Hi oliver79,
You can read this HOWTO on installing packages on almost all popular distributions : -

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...are-linux.html

With Regards,
Thinker

[oliver79]

Thanks guys, that was very helpful!

Oliver

[ashaw10610]

Hello Oliver79
If you know the name of the package from command line type
apt-get install "package name" .
If your not confertable with the command line open the run box and type
kdesu -u root -c synaptic
this tool is a gui for getting packages you will find this quite usefull,
and you can install rpm's get the package called alien it converts rpm to deb.

[oliver79]

Hi:

Yes, I'm familiar with Synaptic, however the packages I wish to install are from a CD (TAR.GZ) format, therefore I presume this is a source recompile, which I'm totally unfamiliar with!

I have attempted to open up the file, and copy and paste the folder into /usr/local/src , however it keeps informing me that the folder is write protected or I do not have the permission to write to that folder! From here I was going to follow the instructions as per:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...are-linux.html

Could anyone advise further? This is an install of vmware-tools, by the way!

Many thanks

Oliver

[antidrugue]

If you want easier configuration, you can try the ready-to-go image of Debian Etch :
http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/487

About installing "vmware-tools", the installation of source packages if covered in the link Thinker gave you.

[ashaw10610]

Hi Oliver
As root copy the file to the dir that you wish to open it
from CL type gunzip file-name after it extracts type
tar -xvf file-name
if the program needs to be compiled, cd to that dir and do
./configure
make
make install