How to Install RPM Packages

here's what I learnt and wrote down to be the standard install routines for rpm and tar.gz files.
you can find out what the switches mean by doing a rpm --help or tar --help from the command line.

Install a package
rpm –ivh packagename
upgrade a package
rpm –Uvh packagename

create a tar file
tar –cvf myfiles.tar mydir/
(add z if you are dealing with or creating .tgz (.tar.gz) files)

standard install from source
tar –xvzf Apackage.tar.gz
cd Apackage
./configure
make
make install

< Installing and upgrading RPM packages >

For installing a software package, you use the rpm command with -i option (which stands for "install"). For example, to install an RPM package called software-2.3.4.rpm:
# rpm -i software-2.3.4.rpm
If you already have some version installed on your system and want to upgrade it to the new version, you use -U option instead (which stands for "upgrade"). For example, if you have software-2.3.3.rpm installed and want to upgrade it:
# rpm -U software-2.3.4.rpm
 

cheers
Madhu Tavva