Hands-on Lab·Red Hat Certified System Administrator
RPM Queries and Local Package Installation
Covers "install and update software packages from the local file system" and the rpm queries that answer exam questions faster than dnf can. The centrepiece is a single contrast: the same package file, refused by rpm for five missing libraries and installed by dnf without comment.
Managing Software Guide 14 of 67 Intermediate
- OSRHEL 10.0 (Coughlan)
- Kernel6.12.0-55.9.1.el10_0
- dnf4.20.0
- Flatpak1.16.0
- TimeAbout 15 min
- Reviewed23 August 2026
Written against the versions above. `rpm` never resolves dependencies and never will - that is dnf's job, and the division is deliberate. `rpm --nodeps` exists to force past the check and is almost always the wrong answer: it produces a package whose files are present and whose binaries cannot run.
| Server Name | IP Address | OS | Roles | CPU | RAM | HDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHCSA-A01 | 192.168.0.31 | RHEL 10.0 (Coughlan) | Practice node (graded) - spare /dev/sda | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB + 15 GB |
Before you start
- A working repository, for
dnf download. - The session installs and removes
sysstatand writes~/rpms.
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Querying what is installed
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What a package owns, and what owns a file
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Verifying a package against its manifest
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Inspecting a package file before installing it
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rpm -i does not resolve dependencies