Archive:Docs/Drafts/AdministrationGuide/ManagingSoftware/AccessingRepositories

Configuring Access to Software Repositories
Fedora systems automatically use the Fedora Project repositories. If the Fedora Project does not supply packages for a product, the manufacturer may provide or recommend a separate repository. Members of the community also maintain repositories to provide packages for Fedora systems. For example, http://www.jpackage.org/ distributes popular Java software as packages.

Adding a Repository as a Package Source
To add an extra repository, place a definition file in the  directory on your system. Package providers make the definition files for their repositories available on their web sites.

You must have root access to add a file to the definitions directory. To copy the definition file, type this command:

At the prompt, enter the password for the root account.

The configuration file for each repository should include a  setting. This setting specifies the location of a public key that verifies the packages provided by that repository. This public key is automatically imported the first time that you install software from the repository. If the configuration file provided does not include this setting, refer to Section 7.2, “Manually Authorizing Package Sources”.

Manually Authorizing Package Sources
To manually add a public key to your  keyring, use the import feature of the   utility. To import the file, type the following command:

At the prompt, enter the password for the root account.

You may also import public keys directly from a web site. For example, to import the file  on the web site www.therepository.com, use this command:

At the prompt, enter the root password.

Understanding Repository Compatibility
The Fedora Package Collection includes several thousands of packages which are compatible with each other. Third-party packages should be compatible with these Fedora Project packages, unless the provider specifically states otherwise.

Always read the web site of the repository for information on package compatibility before you add it as a package source. Separate repository providers may offer different and incompatible versions of the same software. Third-party repositories may also provide alternative packages for software that is included in Fedora repositories.

Alternative packages may contain versions of the software that function differently from the version in the Fedora Project packages. Determine the benefits and potential incompatibilities before replacing Fedora Project packages with alternative versions.

Packages built for one version of Fedora are usually not compatible with other versions of Fedora. The web site of the provider should specifically state which versions of Fedora they support.

Disabling or Removing Package Sources
Set  in a definition file to prevent   from using that repository. The  utility ignores any definition file with this setting.

To completely remove access to a repository:


 * 1) Delete the relevant file from.
 * 2) Delete the cache directory from.