Package Management Flashcards

Which command displays detailed metadata about an installed RPM package, including its description?

Answer: rpm -qi package

`rpm -qi` (query information) prints the full metadata of a package including name, version, description, and build date.

On a system using `dnf`, how would you downgrade a specific package to its previous version?

Answer: dnf downgrade package

`dnf downgrade package` installs the highest available version that is lower than the currently installed version.

What does the `apt-cache depends` command show?

Answer: The dependencies that a package requires

`apt-cache depends package` lists the direct dependencies (Depends, Recommends, Suggests) that the specified package declares.

Which `snap` command installs a snap in classic confinement mode?

Answer: snap install --classic app

`snap install --classic` bypasses Snap's strict confinement and allows the application full access to the system, similar to a traditional package.

What does `dpkg -S /path/to/file` do?

Answer: Identifies which package owns the file

`dpkg -S` searches the dpkg database to find which installed package provided a specific file path.

In the context of YUM/DNF, what is a 'group' install?

Answer: Installing a predefined collection of related packages

A YUM/DNF group is a named collection of packages (e.g., 'Development Tools') that can be installed together with `dnf groupinstall`.

Which file stores the dpkg package status database on Debian-based systems?

Answer: /var/lib/dpkg/status

`/var/lib/dpkg/status` is a plain-text file that records the status and metadata of every package known to dpkg.