Software Management Command Line Comparison

Package management

Install package 

Install a package(s) by name

• rug install
• apt-get install
• smart install
• yum install

• zypper install

Remove package 

Remove a package(s) by name

• rug remove|erase
• apt-get remove
• smart remove
• yum remove|erase

• zypper remove

Search package (Fulltext) 

Search for package(s) by searching the expression in name, description, short description.
What exact fields are being searched by default varies in each tool. Mostly options bring tools on par.

• rug search
• apt-cache search
• smart search
• yum search

• zypper search

Update Packages 

Install packages which have an older version already installed

• rug update
• apt-get upgrade
• smart upgrade
• yum update

• zypper update

Upgrade Packages 

Another form of the update command, which can perform more complex updates -- like distribution upgrades. When the usual update command will omit package updates, which include changes in dependencies, this command can perform those updates.

• apt-get dist-upgrade
• yum upgrade

n/a

Reinstall given Package 

Will reinstall the given package without dependency hassle.

• apt-get --reinstall \ install
• smart reinstall

• zypper install --force

Install local package 

Installs local package file, e.g. app.rpm and uses the installation sources to resolve dependencies

• yum localinstall

n/a

Update with local package 

Updates package(s) with local packages and uses the installation sources to resolve dependencies

• yum localupdate

n/a

Fix broken dependencies 

Use some magic to fix broken dependencies in a system

• apt-get --fix-broken
• smart fix
• rug* solvedeps

n/a

Download the given package 

Only downloads the given package(s) without unpacking or installing them

• apt-get --download-only
• smart download

n/a

Remove unneeded dependencies 

Remove dependencies that are no longer needed, because e.g. the package which needed the dependencies was removed.

• apt-get autoremove

n/a

Fetch source package 

Downloads the corresponding source package(s) to the given package name(s)

• apt-get source

• zypper source-install

Satisfy build-dependencies 

Install/Remove packages to satisfy buid-dependencies. Uses information in the source package.

• apt-get build-dep

n/a

Add package lock 

Add a package lock rule to keep its current state from being changed

• rug* lock-add
• smart flag --set lock
• apt (through pinning and priorities -- complex!)

n/a

Delete package lock 

Delete a package lock rule

• rug* lock-delete
• smart flag --remove lock
• apt (through pinning and priorities -- complex!)

n/a

List all package lock rules 

Show a listing of all lock rules

• rug* lock-list
• smart flag --show lock
• /etc/apt/preferences

n/a

Add a checkpoint 

Add a checkpoint to the package system for later rollback

• rug* checkpoint-add

n/a

Remove a checkpoint 

Remove a checkpoint from the system

• rug* checkpoint-remove

n/a

List all checkpoints 

Provides a list of all system checkpoints

• rug* checkpoints

n/a

Rollback packages 

Rolls entire packages back to a certain date or checkpoint.

• rug* rollback

n/a

Package information management

Get a dump of the whole system information 

Prints, Saves or similar the current state of the package management system. Preferred output is text or XML. One version of rug dumps information as a sqlite database.
(Note: Why either-or here? No tool offers the option to choose the output format.)

• rug dump
• apt-cache stats
• smart stats

n/a

Show full info for package(s) 

Show all or most information about a package.
The tools' verbosity for the default command vary. But with options, the tools are on par with each other.

• rug info
• apt-cache showpkg
• apt-cache show
• smart info
• yum list or info

• zypper info

Search package (Fulltext) 

Search for package(s) by searching the expression in name, description, short description.
What exact fields are being searched by default varies in each tool. Mostly options bring tools on par.

• rug search
• apt-cache search
• smart search
• yum search

• zypper search

Show available updates 

Lists packages which have an update available.
Note: Some provide special commands to limit the output to certain installation sources, others use options.

• rug list-updates
• rug summary
• apt-get upgrade -> n
• yum list updates
• yum check-update

• zypper list-updates
• zypper patch-check (just for patches)

Show all available packages 

Display a list of all packages in all installation sources that are handled by the packages management.
Some tools provide options or additional commands to limit the output to a specific installation source.

• rug packages
• apt-cache dumpavail
• apt-cache dump (Cache only)
• apt-cache pkgnames

IN PROGRESS

Show package(s) which provide X 

Displays packages which provide the given exp. aka reverse provides.
Mainly a shortcut to search a specific field. Other tools might offer this functionality through the search command.

• rug what-provides
• apt (dpkg | grep)
• yum whatprovides
• yum provides

IN PROGRESS

Show package(s) which require X 

Display packages which require X to be installed, aka show reverse dependencies.
rug's what-requires can operate on more than just package names.

• rug what-requires
• apt-cache rdepends
• yum resolvedep

IN PROGRESS

Show conflicts of package X 

Display packages which conflict with given expression (often package).
Search can be used as well to mimic this function. rug's what-conflicts function operates on more than just package names

• rug info-conflicts
• rug what-conflicts
• smart check

IN PROGRESS

List package's requirements 

List all packages which are required for the given package, aka show dependencies.

• rug info-requirements
• apt-cache depends
• yum deplist

IN PROGRESS

List package's provides 

List what the current package provides

• rug info-provides
• yum provides

IN PROGRESS

List files within package 

List the files that the package holds.
Again, this functionality can be mimicked by other more complex commands.

• rug* file-list
• yum provides

IN PROGRESS

Get package which contains file 

Search all packages to find the one which holds the specified file.
auto-apt is using this functionality.

• rug* package-file
• rug what-provides
• apt-file
• yum provides
• yum whatprovides

IN PROGRESS

List all obsoletes of package 

Display all packages that the specified packages obsoletes.

• rug info-obsoletes
• yum list obsoletes
• apt-cache | grep

IN PROGRESS

Verify system dependencies 

Verify dependencies of the complete system. Used if installation process was forcefully killed.

• rug verify
• rug* dangling-requires
• apt-get check ?
• apt-cache unmet
• smart check
• yum deplist

n/a

List installed packages 

Generates a list of installed packages

• apt-cache --installed
• yum list installed

n/a

List installed local packages  

List packages that are installed but are not available in any installation source (anymore).

• yum list extras

n/a

List recently added packages 

List packages that were recently added to one of the installation sources, i.e. which are new to it.
Note: Synaptic has this functionality, however apt doesn't seem to be the provider.

• yum list recent

n/a

'Search log history 

Show a log of actions taken by the software management.

• rug history

n/a

Clean the local caches 

Clean up all local caches. Options might limit what is actually cleaned.
Autoclean removes only unneeded, obsolete information.

• apt-cache clean
• apt-cache autoclean
• smart clean
• yum clean

n/a

Add package to package cache 

Add a local package to the local package cache mostly for debugging purposes.

• apt-cache add

n/a

Display source package 

Display the source package to the given package name(s)

• apt-cache showsrc

n/a

Generate dotty output 

Generates an output suitable for processing with dotty for the given package(s).

• apt-cache dotty

n/a

Set priority of given package 

Set the priority of the given package to avoid upgrade, force downgrade or to overwrite any default behavior. Can also be used to prefer a package version from a certain installation source.

• /etc/apt/preferences
• smart priority --set

n/a

Remove priority 

Remove a previously set priority

• /etc/apt/preferences
• smart priority --remove

n/a

Show all priorities 

Show a list of set priorities.

• apt-cache policy
• /etc/apt/preferences
• smart priority --show

n/a

Ignore priority problems 

Ignores problems that priorities may trigger.

• smart priority --force

n/a

Installation sources management

Add an installation source 

Add an installation source to the system. Some tools provide additional commands for certain sources, others allow all types of source URI for the add command.
Again others, like apt and yum force editing a sources list.
apt-cdrom is a special command, which offers special options design for CDs/DVDs as source.

• rug service-add
• rug mount /local/dir
• apt-cdrom add
• smart channel --add

• zypper service-add

Refresh installation source(s) 

Refresh the information about the specified installation source(s) or all installation sources.

• rug refresh
• apt-get update
• smart update
• yum check-update

• zypper refresh

List all installation sources 

Prints a list of all installation sources including important information like URI, alias etc.

• rug service-list
• smart channel --show

• zypper service-list

Remove an installation source 

Removes an installation source from the list forever

• rug service-delete
• rug* unmount /local/dir
• smart channel --remove

• zypper service-delete

Remove all installation sources 

Delete all known installation sources

• smart channel --remove-all

n/a

Modify an installation source 

Modify the information of a channel by specifying key-value pairs

• smart channel --set

n/a

Edit installation source information 

Modify channel information with the editor specified by $editor.<br7>Kind of default behavior of apt and yum.

• smart channel --edit

n/a

Disable an installation source 

Disables a source for any actions without removing it from the list of installation sources

• smart channel --disable

• zypper modifyrepo --disable

Enable installation source 

Enables a previously disabled installation source

• smart channel --enable

• zypper modifyrepo --enable

Rename an installation source 

Changes the alias for the specified installation source

• smart channel --set

• zypper service-rename

Show mirrors 

Show current mirrors for the given master URL/installation source

• rug mirrors
• smart mirror --show

n/a

Add mirror 

Add a mirror to given origin URL

• smart mirror --add

n/a

Remove mirror 

Remove a mirror of given origin URL

• smart mirror --remove

n/a

Remove all mirrors 

Remove all mirrors of given origin URL

• smart mirror --remove-all

n/a

Synchronize mirrors from file 

Take mirrors from a given file

• smart mirror --sync=FILE

n/a

Edit mirrors 

Edit mirror information with your $editor

• smart mirror --edit

n/a

Clear mirror history 

Clears penality data for given origin/mirror

• smart mirror --clear-history

n/a

Show current penalities 

Show the current penalities¹ for given origin/mirror
¹Misspelled IMHO, but anyways that's how smart implements it

• smart mirror --show-penalities

n/a

Register an installation source 

Register a premium installation source

• rug* register

?

List types of installation sources 

List all available types of installation sources

• rug* service-types

?

SUSE specific commands

Check for patches 

Check if new packages are available

n/a

• zypper patch-check

Install patches 

Install the specified patches

• rug install -t patch
• rug patch-install

• zypper install -t patch

Show patches 

Display patches (in a given source)

• rug patches
• rug patch-list

• zypper patches

Show information of patch 

Show detailed information for the given patch

• rug patch-info

• zypper patch-info

Search for patch 

Search for patches matching a pattern

• rug* patch-search

IN PROGRESS

Show patterns 

Show the patterns in a given source

• rug* patterns

IN PROGRESS

Show pattern information 

Show detailed information about a pattern

• rug* pattern-info

IN PROGRESS

Install/Remove patterns 

Actions on patterns are engaged with the same command as the package installation/removal

• rug* install -t pattern
• rug* remove -t pattern

• zypper install -t pattern
• zypper remove -t pattern

Show products 

Show all products in a given source

• rug* products

IN PROGRESS

Show product information 

Show detailed information about a product

• rug* product-info

IN PROGRESS

Install/Remove product 

Actions on product are engaged with the same command as the package installation/removal

• rug* install -t product
• rug* remove -t product

• zypper install -t product
• zypper remove -t product

Security-related commands

Add a key for a source 

Add a key to the keyring

• rug* key-add
• apt-key add

n/a

Remove a key 

Remove a key from the keyring for a source

• rug* key-delete
• apt-key del

n/a

Display keyring 

Show all known key on the keyring

• rug* key-list
• apt-key list

n/a

Update the keyring 

Check for updated keys and update the local keyring

• apt-key update

n/a

Add a user 

Add a new user

• rug user-add

n/a

Delete user(s) 

Remove users

rug user-delete

n/a

Edit users 

Edit an existing user

• rug user-edit

n/a

List user 

List all users

• rug user-list

n/a

Other commands

Start a shell 

Start a shell to enter multiple commands in one session

• yum shell

• zypper shell