Overview of RPM commands

Source: http://www.idevelopment.info/data/Unix/Linux/LINUX_RPMCommands.shtml

Purpose	Description / Example
Install an RPM Package	RPM packages have file naming conventions like foo-2.0-4.i386.rpm, which include the package name (foo), version (2.0), release (4), and architecture (i386). Also notice that RPM understands FTP and HTTP protocols for installing and querying remote RPM files. rpm -ivh foo-2.0-4.i386.rpm  rpm -i ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/RPMS/foo-1.0-1.i386.rpm  rpm -i http://oss.oracle.com/projects/firewire/dist/files/kernel-2.4.20-18.10.1.i686.rpm
Un-install an RPM Package	To un-install an RPM package, we use the package name foo, not the name of the original package file foo-2.0-4.i386.rpm above. rpm -e foo
Upgrade an RPM Package	To upgrade an RPM package, RPM automatically un-installs the old version of the foo package and installs the new package. It is safe to always use rpm -Uvhto install and upgrade packages, since it works fine even when there are no previous versions of the package installed! Also notice that RPM understands FTP and HTTP protocols for upgrading from remote RPM files. rpm -Uvh foo-1.0-2.i386.rpm  rpm -Uvh ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/RPMS/foo-1.0-1.i386.rpm  rpm -Uvh http://oss.oracle.com/projects/firewire/dist/files/kernel-2.4.20-18.10.1.i686.rpm
Query all Installed Packages	Use RPM to print the names of all installed packages installed on your Linux system. rpm -qa
Query an RPM Package	Querying an RPM package will print the package name, version, and release number of the package foo only if it is installed. Use this command to verify that a package is or is not installed on your Linux system. rpm -q foo
Display Package Information	RPM can display package information including the package name, version, and description of the installed program. Use this command to get detailed information about the installed package. rpm -qi foo
List Files in Installed Package	The following command will list all of files in an installed RPM package. It works only when the package is already installed on your Linux system. rpm -ql foo
Which package owns a file?	Use the following command to determine which installed package a particular file belongs to. rpm -qf /usr/bin/mysql For example:     # rpm -qf /usr/bin/mysql  mysql-3.23.52-3
List Files in RPM File	Use RPM to query a (possibly) un-installed RPM file with the use of the the "-p" option. You can use the "-p" option to operate on an RPM file without actually installing anything. This command lists all files in an RPM file you have in the current directory. Also note that RPM can query remote files through the FTP and HTTP protocols. rpm -qpl kernel-2.4.20-18.10.1.i686.rpm  rpm -qpl ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/RPMS/foo-1.0-1.i386.rpm  rpm -qpl http://oss.oracle.com/projects/firewire/dist/files/kernel-2.4.20-18.10.1.i686.rpm
Verify an Installed Package	Use RPM to list all files that do NOT pass the verify tests (done on size, MD5 signature, etc). rpm --verify mysql Where a file does NOT pass, the output is listed using the following codes that signify what failed: S File size  M Mode (includes permissions and file type)  5 MD5 sum  L Symlink   D Device   U User   G Group   T Mtime Take for example the following: # rpm --verify mysql  S.5....T c /etc/my.cnf This example indicates that file /etc/my.cnf failed on: File size  MD5 Sum  Modified Time However, the "c" tells us this is a configuration file so that explains the changes. It should still be looked at to determine what the changes were.
Check an RPM Signature Package	RPM can be used to check the PGP signature of specified packages to ensure its integrity and origin. Always use this command first before installing a new RPM package on your system. Also, GnuPG or Pgp software must be already installed on your system before you can use this command. rpm --checksig foo