What is EPEL?
EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) is a volunteer-based community effort from the Fedora project to create a repository of high-quality add-on packages that complement the Fedora-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and its compatible spinoffs, such as CentOS and Scientific Linux.
Why?
- it provides tons of open source packages that can be installed via YUM
- maintained by Fedora – therefore trusted
How?
## RHEL/CentOS 7 64-Bit ##
# wget http://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/7/x86_64/e/epel-release-7-5.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-7-5.noarch.rpm
## RHEL/CentOS 6 32-Bit ##
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/6/i386/epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
## RHEL/CentOS 6 64-Bit ##
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/6/x86_64/epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
## RHEL/CentOS 5 32-Bit ##
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/5/x86_64/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm
## RHEL/CentOS 4 32-Bit ##
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/4/i386/epel-release-4-10.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-4-10.noarch.rpm
## RHEL/CentOS 4 64-Bit ##
# wget http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/4/x86_64/epel-release-4-10.noarch.rpm
# rpm -Uvh epel-release-4-10.noarch.rpm
once the package is installed update yum and verify that epel is in on our repo list:
[root]# yum update
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
* base: mirror.strencom.net
* epel: epel.check-update.co.uk
* extras: mirror.strencom.net
* updates: mirror.strencom.net
No packages marked for update
[root]# yum repolist
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
* base: mirror.strencom.net
* epel: epel.check-update.co.uk
* extras: mirror.strencom.net
* updates: mirror.strencom.net
repo id repo name status
base/7/x86_64 CentOS-7 - Base 9,007
epel/x86_64 Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 7 - x86_64 9,111
extras/7/x86_64 CentOS-7 - Extras 191
updates/7/x86_64 CentOS-7 - Updates 369
repolist: 18,678