How to Enable RPMForge Repository in RHEL/CentOS 8?

The RPMForge repository is a third-party package repository that contains various software packages not available in the default repositories of RHEL/CentOS 8. This repository provides additional software packages, updates, and patches that can be installed to enhance system functionality and performance.

By enabling RPMForge, you gain access to a vast range of software packages for RHEL/CentOS 8 that are otherwise unavailable. System administrators and developers particularly benefit from this repository as it provides essential packages for development and system management tasks.

Checking for Existing Repositories

Before enabling RPMForge repository, check whether there are any existing repositories already enabled on your RHEL/CentOS system. This prevents conflicts and errors during package installation that can occur when multiple repositories are enabled.

Use the yum repolist command to list all currently available repositories on your system ?

yum repolist

This command displays all enabled repositories along with their status and the number of packages available in each repository. Multiple entries for the same repository indicate different versions are enabled.

To check for specific repositories, combine yum repolist with grep. For example, to verify if the base repository is enabled ?

yum repolist | grep "base"

If the base repository is enabled, you'll see its name, status, and package count in the output.

Enabling RPMForge Repository

Enabling RPMForge repository involves adding the repository's YUM/DNF configuration file to the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory. Follow these steps to enable RPMForge ?

Step 1: Download and Install RPMForge Release Package

Download the appropriate RPMForge release package for your system ?

wget http://packages.sw.be/rpmforge-release/rpmforge-release-0.5.3-1.el8.rf.x86_64.rpm
dnf install rpmforge-release-0.5.3-1.el8.rf.x86_64.rpm

Step 2: Configure the Repository

Open the newly added configuration file using your preferred text editor ?

nano /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmforge.repo

Step 3: Enable the Repository

Set enabled=1 in the [rpmforge] section of the configuration file ?

[rpmforge]
name = RHEL $releasever - RPMforge.net - dag
baseurl = http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el$releasever/en/$basearch/dag
enabled = 1
gpgcheck = 1
gpgkey = http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/packages/RPM-GPG-KEY.dag.txt
protect = 0
priority=10

Save and close the configuration file. RPMForge repository is now successfully enabled on your RHEL/CentOS 8 system.

Verifying Repository Availability

After enabling RPMForge, verify that the repository is available and functioning correctly. Use either yum repolist or dnf repolist commands to check repository availability.

Using YUM

sudo yum repolist

If RPMForge is successfully enabled, it should appear in the output ?

repo id                    repo name                                status
AppStream                  CentOS-8 - AppStream                     5,090
BaseOS                     CentOS-8 - Base                          2,843
epel                       Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 8    4,510
extras                     CentOS-8 - Extras                           17
RPMforge                   RHEL/CentOS-8 - RPMforge.net - dag      1,173

Using DNF

sudo dnf repolist

The output should include RPMForge repository ?

repo id         repo name                           status
AppStream       CentOS-8 - AppStream               4.9 kB/s | 7.8 kB
BaseOS          CentOS-8 - Base                    3.1 kB/s | 3.9 kB
extras          CentOS-8 - Extras                  464 B/s | 1.5 kB
epel            Extra Packages for Enterprise      2.2 MB/s | 4.6 MB
RPMforge        RHEL/CentOS-8 - RPMforge.net       807 B/s | 11 kB

If RPMForge doesn't appear in the output, revisit the previous steps to resolve any configuration issues.

Installing Packages from RPMForge Repository

With RPMForge enabled, you can install packages using either yum or dnf package managers. DNF is recommended for CentOS/RHEL 8 systems due to better dependency resolution and enhanced features.

Using YUM Package Manager

Install packages from RPMForge using the following syntax ?

sudo yum --enablerepo=rpmforge install <package-name>

For example, to install VLC media player ?

sudo yum --enablerepo=rpmforge install vlc

Using DNF Package Manager

First, clean the metadata cache ?

sudo dnf clean all

Search for packages in RPMForge repository ?

sudo dnf --enablerepo=rpmforge search <package-name>

Install the desired package ?

sudo dnf --enablerepo=rpmforge install <package-name>

For example, to install OpenShot video editor ?

sudo dnf --enablerepo=rpmforge install openshot

The package manager automatically downloads and installs all necessary dependencies.

Conclusion

Enabling RPMForge repository in RHEL/CentOS 8 provides system administrators and developers access to a wider range of software packages not available in default repositories. The process involves downloading the release package, configuring the repository file, and verifying availability before installing packages.