Linux Tutorial: Packaging, Updating, and Installing

A typical application or utility will consist of several executable files, configuration files, documentation notes and guides and possibly even libraries too. All these files and information about where to place them in the filesystem are put together in what is referred to as a package. So when we talk about the installation or upgrading of applications, we are referring to the installation and maintenance of these packages.

There are many packaging formats available in Linux, and some are easier to use than others. In this Chapter we shall cover tarballs, the RPM packaging format (RPM) and the Debian packaging format (DEB). Read more…