Activating Epel and EPEL Next in Almalinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9.

Enterprise Linux systems like Almalinux and Rocky Linux 9 come with a default set of packages that enable their basic functioning. However, users often require additional packages to enhance the functionality and capabilities of their systems. This is where the EPEL repository comes into play.

EPEL or Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux is a Fedora Special Interest Group that creates, maintains, and manages a high-quality set of additional packages for Enterprise Linux, including, but not limited to, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), CentOS, Scientific Linux (SL), Oracle Linux (OL), AlmaLinux (AL) and Rocky Linux (RL). EPEL packages are usually based on their Fedora counterparts and should not conflict with or replace packages in the base Enterprise Linux distributions.

This guide will demonstrate how to enable the EPEL and EPEL Next repositories on Almalinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9.

Table of Contents

• About EPEL
• Understanding EPEL Next
• Benefits of EPEL
• Steps to Enable EPEL and EPEL Next
  • Updating System
  • Installing EPEL and EPEL Next
• Verifying the Installation
• Using the EPEL Repository
• EPEL Command Tips
• Disabling EPEL Temporarily
• Keeping EPEL Packages Updated
• End of Life Releases
• How to Contribute to EPEL
• Communicating with EPEL
• Conclusion

About EPEL

EPEL is a community-based project led by the Fedora team that provides additional packages for Linux distributions, including RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and more. These packages offer extra functionality that is not available through the default system repositories, enabling users to easily install additional software packages not included in the base distribution.

The term EPEL stands for Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux. These packages are deemed to be stable, well-tested, and are maintained by the EPEL project. The EPEL repository can be added to any RHEL or CentOS systems, thereby allowing users to easily install additional software packages.

Understanding EPEL Next

While EPEL packages are built for RHEL, EPEL Next is designed to offer an alternative repository for building against CentOS Stream. This is particularly useful for upcoming RHEL library rebases or minimum version build requirements not yet in RHEL.

EPEL Next maintains its distgit branches, koji build targets, and bodhi releases, with a .next disttag for upgrade paths. It’s important to note though that EPEL Next is not a complete rebuild of all the EPEL packages but only those packages that need to be rebuilt to install on CentOS Stream. The EPEL Next repo is meant to be layered on top of the regular EPEL repository.

Benefits of EPEL

Installing the EPEL repository on your Rocky Linux system offers several benefits:

• Access to Additional Packages: EPEL provides a wide range of extra packages that are not available in the default Rocky Linux repositories.
• Compatibility with RHEL: Since Rocky Linux is a RHEL derivative, EPEL packages are designed to work seamlessly with your system.
• Regular Updates: EPEL is actively maintained, ensuring that you receive regular updates and security patches for the packages installed from this repository.

Steps to Enable EPEL and EPEL Next

Updating System

Before you proceed with enabling the repository, it is crucial to update your Linux system to get the available security updates and rebuild the DNF package cache. This can be done using the following command:

sudo dnf update

Installing EPEL and EPEL Next

After updating your system, you can proceed with the installation of the EPEL and EPEL Next repositories. The command to enable these repositories depends on your specific version of Rocky Linux or Almalinux.

For Almalinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9, you need to first enable the CodeReady Builder repository (CRB) which contains additional packages that complement the main distribution and enhance its capabilities. To enable CRB, use the following command:

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

Once CRB is enabled, you can install the EPEL repositories with the following commands:

sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-9.noarch.rpm sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-next-release-latest-9.noarch.rpm

For Almalinux 8 or Rocky Linux 8, you need to first enable the PowerTools repository which provides additional development and debugging tools. To enable PowerTools, use the following command:

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled powertools

Once PowerTools is enabled, you can install the EPEL repositories with the following commands:

sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-next-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm

Verifying the Installation

After successfully enabling the EPEL repository, it is essential to verify the installation. This ensures that the repository has been correctly configured and is ready for use. You can do this by running the following command:

dnf repolist | grep epel

If the output lists both the EPEL and EPEL Next repositories, it confirms the successful integration of the EPEL repository into your system.

Using the EPEL Repository

Once the EPEL repository has been enabled, you can use standard tools like ‘yum’ or ‘dnf’ to install packages and their dependencies. By default, the stable EPEL repo is enabled. However, there is also an ‘epel-testing’ repository that contains packages that are not yet deemed stable.

EPEL Command Tips

Here are some foundational commands to get you started with using EPEL:

Searching for Specific Packages

To search for a specific package in the EPEL repository, you can use the dnf search command as follows:

sudo dnf --enablerepo="epel" search keyword>

Replace with a term related to the package you’re looking for. This will return a list of packages that match or are related to the keyword.

Getting Detailed Information

To get detailed information about a specific package, including its description, version, and dependencies, use the following command:

sudo dnf --enablerepo="epel" info package_name>

Checking for Package Updates in EPEL

To check if there are updates available for packages you’ve installed from EPEL, use the following command:

sudo dnf --enablerepo="epel" check-update

This will list all packages from EPEL that have updates available.

Removing a Package

If you’ve installed a package from EPEL and wish to remove it, use the following command:

sudo dnf remove package_name>

Replace with the name of the package you want to uninstall.

Disabling EPEL Temporarily

There might be times when you want to install or update packages without considering the EPEL repository. To temporarily disable EPEL during a DNF operation, use the following command:

sudo dnf --disablerepo="epel" command>

Replace with the DNF command you wish to execute.

Keeping EPEL Packages Updated

To ensure that all packages you’ve installed from EPEL are updated, use the following command:

sudo dnf --enablerepo="epel" upgrade

This will upgrade all EPEL packages to their latest versions.

End of Life Releases

It’s important to note that EPEL has End of Life (EOL) releases that are no longer supported. Due to major security changes in SSL in the last 10 years, older releases may not be able to directly point to these releases. Therefore, for these EOL releases, it is recommended to have a newer system mirror the entire archive and then for your systems to point to that mirror.

How to Contribute to EPEL

EPEL is always looking for interested folks to help out. They always need package maintainers, QA/testers, bug triage, and documentation writers. Please see the Joining EPEL page for more information on how to join EPEL.

Communicating with EPEL

There are many ways to communicate with EPEL and its members. The #epel IRC channel on Libera Chat offers real-time support for EPEL users and developers. This channel is bridged to epel:fedoraproject.org on Matrix. The epel-devel mailing list is for general EPEL discussion. Also, the EPEL Steering Committee meets on Wednesday every week in the Fedora Meeting 1 Matrix channel. Feel free to join them!

Conclusion

In conclusion, activating the EPEL and EPEL Next repositories on Almalinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9 significantly extends the range of software options available to you, thereby enhancing both the versatility and the performance of your server or workstation. The installation process is straightforward and aligns with standard repository management practices in Linux. With EPEL now part of your setup, you’re all set to explore and install additional packages that enhance the functionality and efficiency of your Linux environment.