An RPM file is used to install software on Linux-based systems, and stores metadata in a database on the host computer. Front-end applications can simplify the use of RPM files by bringing them into the GUI environment. RPM files can help new users familiarize themselves with Linux.
A Red Hat® Package Manager file (rpm file) is a file or set of files used to install software on Linux®-based systems. First introduced to support the Red Hat® distribution of Linux®, RPM has been included in many other distributions of Linux® and other operating systems such as Novell Netware®.
The idea behind an rpm file is such that a group of files or an application can be zipped together and unzipped during the installation process. The technology is similar to compression used to package many Word or Excel documents together for distribution. The set of installation files reduces the size of the overall file and, in turn, the amount of time a user spends downloading and installing the rpm file.
Information about each package is stored in metadata, which is the data that defines the data on a computer. An rpm file, when uncompressed, stores metadata in a database on the host computer which holds information about installed packages. This helps maintain updates for applications and ensures that the host operating system knows which version of the installed package is the latest.
Sometimes a front-end application will be used to manage the RPM package files on a system. These applications are used to further simplify the use of an RPM file by bringing them into the graphical user interface (GUI). Many distributions of Linux® are command-line driven, leaving you to enter the path to the application or RPM package files on the command line to use the package. The front-end manager allows the user to download package files and then open them in the GUI environment, removing the command line from the equation.
RPM package files can also help new users to the Linux® arena familiarize themselves with using the operating system and make the installation process less daunting simply because it can be managed within the GUI desktop environment that many users they got used to it.
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