Learn the zypper command with 12 useful examples along with sample outputs. zypper is used for package and patch management in Suse Linux systems.
zypper is a package management system powered by ZYpp package manager engine. Suse Linux uses zypper for package management. In this article, we will be sharing 12 useful zypper commands along with examples that are helpful for your day to day sysadmin tasks.
Without any argument zypper command will list you all available switches which can be used. It’s quite handy than referring to the man page which is pretty much in detail.
root@kerneltalks # zypper
Usage:
zypper [--global-options] <command> [--command-options] [arguments]
zypper <subcommand> [--command-options] [arguments]
Global Options:
--help, -h Help.
--version, -V Output the version number.
--promptids Output a list of zypper's user prompts.
--config, -c <file> Use specified config file instead of the default .
--userdata <string> User defined transaction id used in history and plugins.
--quiet, -q Suppress normal output, print only error
messages.
--verbose, -v Increase verbosity.
--color
--no-color Whether to use colors in output if tty supports it.
--no-abbrev, -A Do not abbreviate text in tables.
--table-style, -s Table style (integer).
--non-interactive, -n Do not ask anything, use default answers
automatically.
--non-interactive-include-reboot-patches
Do not treat patches as interactive, which have
the rebootSuggested-flag set.
--xmlout, -x Switch to XML output.
--ignore-unknown, -i Ignore unknown packages.
--reposd-dir, -D <dir> Use alternative repository definition file
directory.
--cache-dir, -C <dir> Use alternative directory for all caches.
--raw-cache-dir <dir> Use alternative raw meta-data cache directory.
--solv-cache-dir <dir> Use alternative solv file cache directory.
--pkg-cache-dir <dir> Use alternative package cache directory.
Repository Options:
--no-gpg-checks Ignore GPG check failures and continue.
--gpg-auto-import-keys Automatically trust and import new repository
signing keys.
--plus-repo, -p <URI> Use an additional repository.
--plus-content <tag> Additionally use disabled repositories providing a specific keyword.
Try '--plus-content debug' to enable repos indic ating to provide debug packages.
--disable-repositories Do not read meta-data from repositories.
--no-refresh Do not refresh the repositories.
--no-cd Ignore CD/DVD repositories.
--no-remote Ignore remote repositories.
--releasever Set the value of $releasever in all .repo files (default: distribution version)
Target Options:
--root, -R <dir> Operate on a different root directory.
--disable-system-resolvables
Do not read installed packages.
Commands:
help, ? Print help.
shell, sh Accept multiple commands at once.
Repository Management:
repos, lr List all defined repositories.
addrepo, ar Add a new repository.
removerepo, rr Remove specified repository.
renamerepo, nr Rename specified repository.
modifyrepo, mr Modify specified repository.
refresh, ref Refresh all repositories.
clean Clean local caches.
Service Management:
services, ls List all defined services.
addservice, as Add a new service.
modifyservice, ms Modify specified service.
removeservice, rs Remove specified service.
refresh-services, refs Refresh all services.
Software Management:
install, in Install packages.
remove, rm Remove packages.
verify, ve Verify integrity of package dependencies.
source-install, si Install source packages and their build
dependencies.
install-new-recommends, inr
Install newly added packages recommended
by installed packages.
Update Management:
update, up Update installed packages with newer versions.
list-updates, lu List available updates.
patch Install needed patches.
list-patches, lp List needed patches.
dist-upgrade, dup Perform a distribution upgrade.
patch-check, pchk Check for patches.
Querying:
search, se Search for packages matching a pattern.
info, if Show full information for specified packages.
patch-info Show full information for specified patches.
pattern-info Show full information for specified patterns.
product-info Show full information for specified products.
patches, pch List all available patches.
packages, pa List all available packages.
patterns, pt List all available patterns.
products, pd List all available products.
what-provides, wp List packages providing specified capability.
Package Locks:
addlock, al Add a package lock.
removelock, rl Remove a package lock.
locks, ll List current package locks.
cleanlocks, cl Remove unused locks.
Other Commands:
versioncmp, vcmp Compare two version strings.
targetos, tos Print the target operating system ID string.
licenses Print report about licenses and EULAs of
installed packages.
download Download rpms specified on the commandline to a local directory.
source-download Download source rpms for all installed packages
to a local directory.
Subcommands:
subcommand Lists available subcommands.
Type 'zypper help <command>' to get command-specific help.
How to install the package using zypper
zypper takes in or install switch to install the package on your system. It’s the same as yum package installation, supplying package name as an argument, and package manager (zypper here) will resolve all dependencies and install them along with your required package.
# zypper install telnet
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Resolving package dependencies...
The following NEW package is going to be installed:
telnet
1 new package to install.
Overall download size: 51.8 KiB. Already cached: 0 B. After the operation, additional 113.3 KiB will be used.
Continue? [y/n/...? shows all options] (y): y
Retrieving package telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64 (1/1), 51.8 KiB (113.3 KiB unpacked)
Retrieving: telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64.rpm .........................................................................................................................[done]
Checking for file conflicts: .....................................................................................................................................[done]
(1/1) Installing: telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64 .......................................................................................................................[done]
Above output for your reference in which we installed telnet package.
Suggested read: Install packages in YUM and APT systems
How to remove package using zypper
For erasing or removing packages in Suse Linux, use zypper with remove or rm switch.
root@kerneltalks # zypper rm telnet
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Resolving package dependencies...
The following package is going to be REMOVED:
telnet
1 package to remove.
After the operation, 113.3 KiB will be freed.
Continue? [y/n/...? shows all options] (y): y
(1/1) Removing telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64 ..........................................................................................................................[done]
We removed previously installed telnet package here.
Check dependencies and verify the integrity of installed packages using zypper
There are times when one can install the package by force ignoring dependencies. zypper gives you the power to scan all installed packages and checks for their dependencies too. If any dependency is missing, it offers you to install/remove it and hence maintain the integrity of your installed packages.
Use verify or ve switch with zypper to check the integrity of installed packages.
root@kerneltalks # zypper ve
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Dependencies of all installed packages are satisfied.
In the above output, you can see the last line confirms that all dependencies of installed packages are completed and no action required.
How to download package using zypper in Suse Linux
zypper offers a way to download the package in the local directory without installation. You can use this downloaded package on another system with the same configuration. Packages will be downloaded to /var/cache/zypp/packages/<repo>/<arch>/ directory.
root@kerneltalks # zypper download telnet
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Retrieving package telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64 (1/1), 51.8 KiB (113.3 KiB unpacked)
(1/1) /var/cache/zypp/packages/SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLES12-SP3-Pool/x86_64/telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64.rpm ................................................[done]
download: Done.
# ls -lrt /var/cache/zypp/packages/SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLES12-SP3-Pool/x86_64/
total 52
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 53025 Feb 21 03:17 telnet-1.2-165.63.x86_64.rpm
You can see we have downloaded telnet package locally using zypper
Suggested read: Download packages in YUM and APT systems without installing
How to list available package update in zypper
zypper allows you to view all available updates for your installed packages so that you can plan update activity in advance. Use list-updates or lu switch to show you a list of all available updates for installed packages.
root@kerneltalks # zypper lu
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
S | Repository | Name | Current Version | Available Version | Arch
--+-----------------------------------+----------------------------+-------------------------------+------------------------------------+-------
v | SLES12-SP3-Updates | at-spi2-core | 2.20.2-12.3 | 2.20.2-14.3.1 | x86_64
v | SLES12-SP3-Updates | bash | 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-83.5.2 | x86_64
v | SLES12-SP3-Updates | ca-certificates-mozilla | 2.7-11.1 | 2.22-12.3.1 | noarch
v | SLE-Module-Containers12-Updates | containerd | 0.2.5+gitr639_422e31c-20.2 | 0.2.9+gitr706_06b9cb351610-16.8.1 | x86_64
v | SLES12-SP3-Updates | crash | 7.1.8-4.3.1 | 7.1.8-4.6.2 | x86_64
v | SLES12-SP3-Updates | rsync | 3.1.0-12.1 | 3.1.0-13.10.1 | x86_64
The output is properly formatted for easy reading. Column wise it shows the name of repo where package belongs, package name, installed version, new updated available version & architecture.
List and install patches in Suse linux
Use list-patches or lp switch to display all available patches for your Suse Linux system which needs to be applied.
root@kerneltalks # zypper lp
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Repository | Name | Category | Severity | Interactive | Status | Summary
----------------------------------+------------------------------------------+-------------+-----------+-------------+--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLE-Module-Containers12-Updates | SUSE-SLE-Module-Containers-12-2018-273 | security | important | --- | needed | Version update for docker, docker-runc, containerd, golang-github-docker-libnetwork
SLE-Module-Containers12-Updates | SUSE-SLE-Module-Containers-12-2018-62 | recommended | low | --- | needed | Recommended update for sle2docker
SLE-Module-Public-Cloud12-Updates | SUSE-SLE-Module-Public-Cloud-12-2018-268 | recommended | low | --- | needed | Recommended update for python-ecdsa
SLES12-SP3-Updates | SUSE-SLE-SERVER-12-SP3-2018-116 | security | moderate | --- | needed | Security update for rsync
---- output clipped ----
SLES12-SP3-Updates | SUSE-SLE-SERVER-12-SP3-2018-89 | security | moderate | --- | needed | Security update for perl-XML-LibXML
SLES12-SP3-Updates | SUSE-SLE-SERVER-12-SP3-2018-90 | recommended | low | --- | needed | Recommended update for lvm2
Found 37 applicable patches:
37 patches needed (18 security patches)
The output is pretty much nicely organized with respective headers. You can easily figure out and plan your patch update accordingly. We can see out of 37 patches available on our system 18 are security ones and needs to be applied on high priority!
You can install all needed patches by issuing zypper patch command.
How to update package using zypper
To update package using zypper, use update or up switch followed by package name. In the above list updates command, we learned that rsync package update is available on our server. Let update it now –
root@kerneltalks # zypper update rsync
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Resolving package dependencies...
The following package is going to be upgraded:
rsync
1 package to upgrade.
Overall download size: 325.2 KiB. Already cached: 0 B. After the operation, additional 64.0 B will be used.
Continue? [y/n/...? shows all options] (y): y
Retrieving package rsync-3.1.0-13.10.1.x86_64 (1/1), 325.2 KiB (625.5 KiB unpacked)
Retrieving: rsync-3.1.0-13.10.1.x86_64.rpm .......................................................................................................................[done]
Checking for file conflicts: .....................................................................................................................................[done]
(1/1) Installing: rsync-3.1.0-13.10.1.x86_64 .....................................................................................................................[done]
Search package using zypper in Suse Linux
If you are not sure about the full package name, no worries. You can search packages in zypper by supplying search string with se or search switch
root@kerneltalks # zypper se lvm
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
S | Name | Summary | Type
---+---------------+------------------------------+-----------
| libLLVM | Libraries for LLVM | package
| libLLVM-32bit | Libraries for LLVM | package
| llvm | Low Level Virtual Machine | package
| llvm-devel | Header Files for LLVM | package
| lvm2 | Logical Volume Manager Tools | srcpackage
i+ | lvm2 | Logical Volume Manager Tools | package
| lvm2-devel | Development files for LVM2 | package
In the above example, we searched lvm string and came up with the list shown above. You can use Name in zypper install/remove/update commands.
Check installed package information using zypper
You can check installed packages details using zypper. info or if switch will list out information of the installed package. It can also display package details which are not installed. In that case, Installed parameter will reflect No value.
root@kerneltalks # zypper info rsync
Refreshing service 'SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net'.
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Information for package rsync:
------------------------------
Repository : SLES12-SP3-Updates
Name : rsync
Version : 3.1.0-13.10.1
Arch : x86_64
Vendor : SUSE LLC <https://www.suse.com/>
Support Level : Level 3
Installed Size : 625.5 KiB
Installed : Yes
Status : up-to-date
Source package : rsync-3.1.0-13.10.1.src
Summary : Versatile tool for fast incremental file transfer
Description :
Rsync is a fast and extraordinarily versatile file copying tool. It can copy
locally, to/from another host over any remote shell, or to/from a remote rsync
daemon. It offers a large number of options that control every aspect of its
behavior and permit very flexible specification of the set of files to be
copied. It is famous for its delta-transfer algorithm, which reduces the amount
of data sent over the network by sending only the differences between the
source files and the existing files in the destination. Rsync is widely used
for backups and mirroring and as an improved copy command for everyday use.
List repositories using zypper
To list repo use lr or repos switch with zypper command. It will list all available repos which include enabled and not-enabled both repos.
root@kerneltalks # zypper lr
Refreshing service 'cloud_update'.
Repository priorities are without effect. All enabled repositories share the same priority.
# | Alias | Name | Enabled | GPG Check | Refresh
---+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------+---------+-----------+--------
1 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Debuginfo-Pool | SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Debuginfo-Pool | No | ---- | ----
2 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Debuginfo-Updates | SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Debuginfo-Updates | No | ---- | ----
3 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Pool | SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Pool | Yes | (r ) Yes | No
4 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Updates | SLE-Module-Adv-Systems-Management12-Updates | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes
5 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Containers12-Debuginfo-Pool | SLE-Module-Containers12-Debuginfo-Pool | No | ---- | ----
6 | SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net:SLE-Module-Containers12-Debuginfo-Updates | SLE-Module-Containers12-Debuginfo-Updates | No | ---- | ----
here you need to check enabled column to check which repos are enabled and which are not.
Recommended read : How to list repositories in RHEL & List of online package repositories
Add and remove repo in Suse Linux using zypper
To add repo you will need URI of repo/.repo file or else you end up in below error.
root@kerneltalks # zypper addrepo -c SLES12-SP3-Updates
If only one argument is used, it must be a URI pointing to a .repo file.
With URI, you can add repo like below :
root@kerneltalks # zypper addrepo -c http://smt-ec2.susecloud.net/repo/SUSE/Products/SLE-SDK/12-SP3/x86_64/product?credentials=SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net SLE-SDK12-SP3-Pool
Adding repository 'SLE-SDK12-SP3-Pool' ...........................................................................................................................[done]
Repository 'SLE-SDK12-SP3-Pool' successfully added
URI : http://smt-ec2.susecloud.net/repo/SUSE/Products/SLE-SDK/12-SP3/x86_64/product?credentials=SMT-http_smt-ec2_susecloud_net
Enabled : Yes
GPG Check : Yes
Autorefresh : No
Priority : 99 (default priority)
Repository priorities are without effect. All enabled repositories share the same priority.
Use addrepo or ar switch with zypper to add a repo in Suse. Followed by URI and lastly, you need to provide alias as well.
To remove repo in Suse, use removerepo or rr switch with zypper.
root@kerneltalks # zypper removerepo nVidia-Driver-SLE12-SP3
Removing repository 'nVidia-Driver-SLE12-SP3' ....................................................................................................................[done]
Repository 'nVidia-Driver-SLE12-SP3' has been removed.
Clean local zypper cache
Cleaning up local zypper caches with zypper clean command –
root@kerneltalks # zypper clean
All repositories have been cleaned up.
I want to update offline. When I’ve downloaded thousands of packages, I don’t want to update them all at that time. I want to update when I’m not on the web.