...

first thing you should do is `yum upgrade` as 5.3 is out now,a nd 5.4 is out soon, these consist of upgrades to nearly every ssytem component for security and bug fixes.

secondly, rather than 'downloading rpm packages', you should instead 'configure yum repositories' so yum can manage the dependencies of any packages you wish to install.

see http://wiki.centos.org/AdditionalResources/Repositories for some popular ones.

The problem is that I don't have the root account. Our system administrator doesn't update the system because of the excuse of keeping the machine stable. Therefore, I have to install packages in my home directory. As far as I know, I can not run yum without root permission. But at least I should be able to run rpm without root permission. That is why I asked the original question.

You still will not be able to install rpm packages that are slotted for /usr.

Are you in Hong Kong? Tell your system administrator that this is Redhat Linux administration and not Microsoft Windows administration. You get surprises from Microsoft updates. You rarely get any surprises from Redhat Linux updates. Not updating a Redhat Linux box has more potential for fire fighting than updating.

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 10:07 PM, John R. Dennison jrd@gerdesas.com wrote:

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 09:44:56PM -0500, Peng Yu wrote:

...

The problem is that I don't have the root account. Our system administrator doesn't update the system because of the excuse of keeping the machine stable. Therefore, I have to install packages in my home directory. As far as I know, I can not run yum without root permission. But at least I should be able to run rpm without root permission. That is why I asked the original question.

And that's *exactly* what it is, an excuse.  Your "system        administrator" should be terminated and someone hired that        understands the concepts of best practices as far as security        go.

Hi Christopher and John,

I totally understand what you said. And that is why I said my "system administrator" has an excuse. But I have no control on whether to fire him or not. For now, I have to live with it.

If you could help me on finding packages for downloading and installing them in my home directory, that would be very helpful.

I also find the following link on how to run rpm in my home directory. Does it work for my problem?

http://www.techonthenet.com/linux/build_rpm.php

Regards, Peng

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 10:22 PM, Christopher Chan christopher.chan@bradbury.edu.hk wrote:

...

If you could help me on finding packages for downloading and installing them in my home directory, that would be very helpful.

You can try using 'rpm --prefix ~/ rpmfile' if you want that...

...

I also find the following link on how to run rpm in my home directory. Does it work for my problem?

http://www.techonthenet.com/linux/build_rpm.php

That is for building rpms...not installing them.

What packages are you looking for?

I am looking for some user level packages, such as icewm, openoffice.

...

I am looking for some user level packages, such as icewm, openoffice.

icewm? You logon through the terminal and so can choose your window manager? Otherwise, you can more or less forget it...

Oy, as they say, vey. I just went from opensuse 10.3 to centos 5.3. Building icewm was a *royal* pain. There were a number of libraries it wanted, and, IIRC, I had to manually create backward links (ln - s lib<somethingorother>.so.4 lib<somethingorother>.so.2....

mark

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 5:14 PM, Peng Yu pengyu.ut@gmail.com wrote:

I also find the following link on how to run rpm in my home directory. Does it work for my problem?

http://www.techonthenet.com/linux/build_rpm.php

No. That shows you how to build an rpm. It begins with a lot of binaries or sources and ends up with an rpm. You want to be able to install an rpm. If there is a solution to your problem I don't know it. sorry.

Dave

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 10:26 PM, Alan Sparks asparks@doublesparks.net wrote:

Peng Yu wrote:

...

If you could help me on finding packages for downloading and installing them in my home directory, that would be very helpful.

I also find the following link on how to run rpm in my home directory. Does it work for my problem?

http://www.techonthenet.com/linux/build_rpm.php

Well, that's for building them, not installing them.  Probably not much help for you, as far as updating the system, although if you were to hack the spec files, you could make RPMs that would install locally.

In some cases, you can download RPMs from CentOS or RHEL compatible archives (like from the mirrors listed on centos.org, or from EPEL (google that), and try the --relocate option on the RPM install.  Note, however, that not all RPMs will relocate well.

I assume you're just trying to get newer versions of some applications you use.  Obviously, you can't update the versions of libraries and system executables without root access, so nothing good can be done with respect to securing the system or generally improving life without doing it "right."

In your case, probably the better way to work around your bad situation is forget RPM entirely, and download tarballs for whatever you really need to install locally.  Learn how to do the configure/make/make install dance, and set the --prefix= option on the configure to your home directory. -Alan

I have been trying this way. But there are some source packages that I can't find. For example, I am looking for imlib-config. Do you know where I can download its source package.

Regards, Peng

I think you're in for a tough road. Try buying the sysadmin flowers.

Flowers? I'd thought a R/C helicopter might get somewhere.

On 17/09/09 08:12, Nicolas Thierry-Mieg wrote:

Christopher Chan wrote:

...

...

I think you're in for a tough road. Try buying the sysadmin flowers.

Flowers? I'd thought a R/C helicopter might get somewhere.

well since your system is still C5.0 you could always use that good old vmsplice exploit and become root to install your packages discreetly ;-)

I deny it all. I didn't say that, someone's pretending to be me. _______________________________________________ CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos

Actually, that may not be a bad idea for him to do. If he does that, he could then prove to his very lazy (So it seems) SYS Admin that the systems are simply no longer secure, and thus getting him to upgrade them.

But on the other hand it may get him the sack for breaking into the systems. Hmm.

However, I don't see how letting a system become very out of date, will keep it stable, if anything it could cause more problems.

On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 8:18 AM, Mihai T. Lazarescu mtlagm@gmail.com wrote:

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 10:33:12PM -0500, Peng Yu wrote:

...

For example, I am looking for imlib-config. Do you know where I can download its source package.

You can try general purpose RPM finders, like:

http://rpm.pbone.net/

for both binary and source search and download.  Try your luck by selecting CentOS5, RHEL5, Fedora 6.

What should that buy him? If he cannot install rpms from the "official and affiliated" repositories, he won't have any luck to install those either.

Without being root that is.

Ralph

Peng Yu a écrit :

Our system administrator doesn't update the system because of the excuse of keeping the machine stable.

Does he also avoid to take showers in order to stay clean?

:o)