Installing RPM packages and network

[dsavage at peaknet.net]

On Thursday July 1, 2004 at 10:50 a.m. "Francis Appiah"
<nanabaffoeappiah at yahoo.com> wrote
> 1.)
> I just installed fc2 and I am a newbie to linux in general, any good
> resources around for newbies and any advice for a firstimer to fc2?
>
> 2.)
> How do I get my rpm packages to install in fc2?
>
> 3.)
> Also I am runnign fc2 on a campus with a main DHCP host, I have realised
> that the host server is only allowing me to get onto on campus websites, I
> cannot resolve any hosts who address are not withing our subnet.
>
> 4.)
> How do I check whether or not I am causing uneccesary network traffic or
> broadcasts and how do I stop that from happening?

Francis,

First off, welcome to Linux and Fedora Core.

1.  Advise: Read. Everything you can get your hands on. Especially the
archives of this list. Keep reading until you start to recognized things.
Then read some more.

2.  How: (1) read 'man rpm' at least twice, (2) be root, (3) select the
packages you want to install very carefully, then (4):

    (i)nstall new packages: # rpm -ivh rpm_full_package_name.rpm
  --or--
    (U)pgrade installed packages: rpm -Uvh rpm_full_package_name.rpm
  --or, better--
    (F)reshen installed packages: rpm -Fvh rpm-full-package_name.rpm

Don't be surprised when rpm tells you it can't install/upgrade/freshen a
package because of a dependency failure. All that means is that you have
to install/upgrade/freshen one or more other packages along with the one
you specified in your command line. It's common to specify multiple
packages on an rpm command line.

3. Answer: In addition to giving you an IP address, your DHCP server
specifies your DNS servers.  These are listed in your /etc/resolv.conf
file (note that this is resolv with a "v", not resolve with an "e"). It
sounds like your campus network system admins are trying to limit your
surfing to the local subnet by pointing you to very restrictive DNS
servers. Have you tried contacting them about this?

4. Answer: Don't worry about this. If you're jabbering, your network folks
have probably already tracked you down by now. It's a good idea to set up
the personal firewall on your system. At an Xterm text prompt type
'setup', enter the root password when asked, select "Firewall
configuration", and click on "Run Tool".  Select Security Level (*)
Enabled followed by [OK] and [Quit].

Hope this helps.

--Doc
Robert G. (Doc) Savage, BSE(EE), CISSP, RHCE | Fairview Heights, IL
Fedora Core 1 kernel 2.4.22-1.2188.nptl on P-III/M IBM Thinkpad A22p
"Perfection is the enemy of good enough."
                          -- Admiral of the Fleet Sergei G. Gorshkov