The Redhat, Fedora and CentOS installer (anaconda) provides a series of graphical or text-based screens to step users through the OS installation process. One of the screens allows the user to pick one or more package groups to install, and optionally allows individual packages to be added and removed. I periodically forget to add groups when I perform interactive installs. Luckily yum understands package groupings, and contains options to update, query, install and remove groups of packages. To view all of the package groupings on a system, yum can be invoked with the “grouplist: option:
$ yum grouplist
Setting up Group Process
Setting up repositories
Installed Groups:
Administration Tools
Compatibility Arch Support
DNS Name Server
FTP Server
Mail Server
MySQL Database
PostgreSQL Database
Server Configuration Tools
Web Server
Windows File Server
Available Groups:
AptRPM
Author: Matty
Compatibility Arch Development Support
Development Tools
Editors
Engineering and Scientific
GNOME Desktop Environment
GNOME Software Development
Games and Entertainment
Graphical Internet
Graphics
Horde-Apps
KDE (K Desktop Environment)
KDE Software Development
Legacy Network Server
Legacy Software Development
Network Servers
News Server
Office/Productivity
Printing Support
Sound and Video
System Tools
Text-based Internet
X Software Development
X Window System
XFCE-4.2
drbd-heartbeat
Done
If you want to view the dependencies and individual packages that make up a specific group, the group name can be passed to the “groupinfo” option:
$ yum groupinfo Graphics
Setting up Group Process
Setting up repositories
Group: Graphics
Required Groups:
Base
X Window System
Default Packages:
xsane-gimp
ImageMagick
netpbm-progs
dia
gimp-gap
sane-frontends
gimp-print-plugin
gimp-help
xsane
gimp-data-extras
gimp
Optional Packages
xfig
kdegraphics
Yum also has the “groupinstall,” “groupremove” and “groupupdate"options to add, remove and update groups of packages. I digs me some yum.