Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and later

Before installing an update, make sure all previously released errata relevant to the system have been applied.

To access updates when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, launch the graphical update tool through Applications -> System Tools -> Software Updater, or from the command line via the following command:

# pup

To access updates when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, launch the graphical update tool through System -> Administration -> Software Update, or from the command line via the following command:

# gpk-update-viewer

For a command line interface, use the following command to update the operating system:

# yum update

To install a specific package, such as vsftpd, use the following command:

# yum install vsftpd

To update a specific package, such as bind, use the following command:

# yum update bind

To find more information about the command line options available for yum, use the following command:

# man yum

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and earlier

To access updates from RHN when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1, 3, and 4, launch the interactive Red Hat Update Agent with the following command:

# up2date

For a command line interface, use up2date-nox. To update non-interactively, use the following command:

# up2date-nox –update

To install a specific package, such as vnc, use the following command:

# up2date vnc

To update a specific package, such as ntp, use the following command:

# up2date -u ntp

To find more information about the command line options available for up2date, use the following command:

# man up2date