We will show you how to install RPM packages in Ubuntu. Debian-based systems like Ubuntu and RedHat-based systems like CentOS are mostly similar in their design. However, there are some differences here and there. For example, RedHat-based systems use .rpm files to represent software packages, while Debian-based systems use .deb files. These file types differ from each other in their design and cannot be installed outside of their respective operating system type (for example, installing a .deb file on CentOS or installing a .rpm file on Ubuntu). However, there are ways to port these packages to other types of systems. Installing RPM packages on Ubuntu VPS is a fairly easy task if you carefully follow the guide below. Start!
There are two ways to install an RPM package: by converting the .rpm file to a .deb file or by installing the .rpm file directly. Both methods are fairly simple, but installing RPM packages on a Debian-based system can lead to some problems, depending on the software being installed (more on this below). Also, check out ou tour’s article on how to easily remove installed packages from source on Linux.
Step 1: Add the universe repository
For the first method, you will need a software package called “Alien”, which is software designed to convert .rpm files into .deb files. To install Alien, you’ll need to add a software repository called “Universe”. Open a terminal and type
:sudo add-apt-repository universe
Step 2: Update apt-get
Enter your user account password when prompted by the terminal. Now, you need to update apt-get for the repository to be used.
sudo apt-get update Step
3: Install
the Alien package Now that
we have the Universe repository added, install Alien by running this command
: sudo apt-get install alien
Step 4: Convert .rpm package to .deb
Once installed, make sure that the software package you downloaded is a .rpm file. Navigate to the folder where the .rpm file is located. Once you have the file .rpm ready, simply run the command
: sudo alien <package name>.rpm
Step 5: Install the converted package
It may take a moment for the file to be converted. Once done, install the file normally using
dpkg:sudo dpkg -i <package name>.deb
It must be installed as a normal .deb package file. You can now use the newly installed software normally.
Step 6: Install the package
RPM directly on the system in Ubuntu
For the other method, Alien is also the software used to install RPM packages directly on the system. Just run the following command once you are in the same folder as the RPM package you want to install.
sudo alien -i <package name>.rpm Give it a
minute and it should install
on your system without problems.
Step 7: Possible problems<img src=”https://www.rosehosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Installing-RPM-Packages-On-Ubuntu.jpg” alt=”Installing RPM packages on Ubuntu” />
Note that it is usually not a good idea to install packages that were not designed for your system. It can lead to dependency issues and can cause errors or even crash. If the software you are installing has some dependencies that need to be installed, you will need to install them first.
All these converted packages only increase the chance that the software will not work properly, so do so at your own risk. If there is no .deb substitute available, then compiling the source code on your machine might be a better option when possible. Learn how to install packages outside of regular package managers.
If you use one of our Ubuntu hosting plans, you don’t have to search for .deb packages or convert RPM packages yourself, you can simply ask our expert technical support to find and install these packages on your VPS for you. They are available 24×7 and will take care of your request immediately.