Operation Manual
7
Managing Software with
Command Line Tools
This chapter describes Zypper and RPM, two command line tools for managing software.
For a denition of the terminology used in this context (for example, repository,
patch, or update) refer to Section 3.1, “Denition of Terms” (page 62).
7.1 Using Zypper
Zypper is a command line package manager for installing, updating and removing
packages as well as for managing repositories. It is especially useful for accomplishing
remote software management tasks or managing software from shell scripts.
7.1.1 General Usage
The general syntax of Zypper is:
zypper [global-options] command [command-options] [arguments] ...
The components enclosed in brackets are not required. The simplest way to execute
Zypper is to type its name, followed by a command. For example, to apply all needed
patches to the system type:
zypper patch
Additionally, you can choose from one or more global options by typing them just before
the command. For example, --non-interactive means running the command
without asking anything (automatically applying the default answers):
Managing Software with Command Line Tools 95