Tutorial Sheet:
Using the Yum modules to ease systems and distro maintenance

  - Intro
    
    This will give the tutorial attendee an overview of what they will
    need to take best advantage of the information presented. 
  
  
  - Audience requirements (personal)
   
    It's assumed the attendee will have good general knowledge of rpm-based
    package management and a working knowledge of programming in python.
   
  - Audience requirements (software)
   
    Systems running a linux distribution that can run yum 2.4.x (
    preferrably 2.4.1) will make all of this a lot more clear. See 
    below for information on how to get a cvs snapshot, as well.
    Finally, if you have ipython(http://ipython.scipy.org/) installed 
    things are sometimes much easier to work with. This is not a 
    requirement, just something nice.
   
   
  - Abstract

    Yum is a package management tool for rpm-based systems. It supports
    multiple architectures, multiple repositories and multiple interfaces.
    Widely used with Fedora Core, Centos, Yellowdog and other linux 
    distributions. In the last year and a half Yum has gradually 
    evolved a much more  programmable library interface which has 
    promoted a myriad of interfaces and tools. As well a plugin interface
    to allow users to easily add functionality to yum without modifying
    the source of the yum program has afforded more flexibility for 
    systems administrators and end users in upgrading their systems.
    
    This tutorial covers a general discussion of yum followed by two 
    specific tutorials covering developing a yum plugin and working with 
    the yum library module to develop your own application.

  - Setting up/testing your laptop (if you're bringing one):
  
    If you're running Fedora Core 4 or CentOS 4.2 you don't need to do 
    anything else. They have all the required packages already available 
    in a default install. If not you just need to make sure you have:
     o rpm 4.3.x
     o rpm-python for the same version of rpm
     o python 2.3 or 2.4
       and yum 2.4.x either installed or unarchived and added to your
       PYTHONPATH.
     o yum 2.4.x requires: urlgrabber, python-celementTree and python-sqlite
    
  - Dealing with access to repositories
    
    Since network access may be unknown or spotty you might want to
    have setup a directory-based yum repository and make it available
    to your yum configuration.
    
    
  - Materials 
      - cvs snapshot
        http://linux.duke.edu/projects/yum/cvs.ptml
        
      - yum tarball
        http://linux.duke.edu/yum/download/2.4/yum-2.4.0.tar.gz

      - plugin links

        http://wiki.linux.duke.edu/YumPlugins
        http://linux.duke.edu/~skvidal/lca-yum-tutorial/plugins/

      - yum-utils links
        http://linux.duke.edu/projects/yum/download/yum-utils/
        cvs: http://devel.linux.duke.edu/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/yum-utils/