How to Enable NUX Dextop Repository on RHEL/CentOS 8

The NUX Dextop repository is a third-party package repository that provides multimedia and desktop packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS systems. Since RHEL/CentOS does not include multimedia software by default due to licensing restrictions, NUX Dextop serves as an essential source for media players, codecs, video editors, and desktop environment packages.

This repository requires the EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) repository as a dependency, as it provides additional packages not available in standard RHEL/CentOS repositories.

Prerequisites

• RHEL/CentOS 8 system with latest updates

• Root access or sudo privileges to execute commands

• Internet connection to download packages

Step 1 Enable EPEL Repository

The NUX Dextop repository depends on packages from EPEL, so we must enable EPEL first.

Install EPEL Release Package

# Switch to root user
sudo su -

# Install EPEL repository
yum install -y epel-release

Import GPG Keys and Verify Installation

# Import necessary GPG keys
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY*

# Verify EPEL repository is enabled
yum repolist

The output should display the EPEL repository among the enabled repositories.

Step 2 Install NUX Dextop Repository

Download NUX Dextop Package

Download the appropriate RPM package for your system architecture

# For 64-bit systems (x86_64)
wget https://li.nux.ro/download/nux/dextop/el8/x86_64/nux-dextop-release-0-5.el8.nux.noarch.rpm

# For 32-bit systems (change x86_64 to i686 in the URL)

Install the Downloaded Package

# Install the NUX Dextop repository package
yum localinstall nux-dextop-release-0-5.el8.nux.noarch.rpm

Verify Repository Installation

# Check if NUX Dextop repository is enabled
yum repolist | grep nux-dextop

Step 3 Verify Installation

To confirm that the NUX Dextop repository is working correctly, list all available packages from the repository

# List all available packages from NUX Dextop repository
yum --disablerepo="*" --enablerepo="nux-dextop" list available

If the command displays a list of available packages, the installation was successful.

Common Issues and Solutions

Example Usage

Once NUX Dextop is enabled, you can install multimedia packages

# Install VLC media player
yum install vlc

# Install multimedia codecs
yum install gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free

Conclusion

Enabling the NUX Dextop repository on RHEL/CentOS 8 requires first installing EPEL repository, then downloading and installing the NUX Dextop package. This repository provides essential multimedia packages not available in default repositories, making it valuable for desktop users who need media applications and codecs.