dnf-automatic - Linux

Overview

dnf-automatic is a tool for managing automatic software updates on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and its derivatives. It provides a centralized and convenient way to configure and control updates, ensuring system stability and security.

Syntax

dnf-automatic [operation] [options]

Operations:

  • update: Check for and apply updates
  • config: Configure update settings
  • enable: Enable automatic updates
  • disable: Disable automatic updates
  • info: Display information about automatic updates

Options/Flags

  • -d, –downloadonly: Download updates without installing
  • -e, –exclude: Exclude specific packages from updates
  • -i, –installonly: Install updates without downloading
  • -r, –refresh: Refresh metadata before checking for updates
  • -t, –timestamp: Install updates with a specific timestamp
  • –no-cache: Bypass the cache during update operations
  • –releasever: Specify the release version for package updates
  • –security: Update only security updates

Examples

Basic example (update system):

dnf-automatic update

Download updates and enable automatic updates:

dnf-automatic downloadonly
dnf-automatic enable

Exclude a particular package from updates:

dnf-automatic --exclude 'package-name' update

Install updates with a specific timestamp:

dnf-automatic --timestamp '202301010000' install

Common Issues

  • Updates not being applied: Verify that automatic updates are enabled (dnf-automatic info) and check for any conflicts or errors in the update logs.
  • Package conflicts: Resolve any package conflicts by manually installing or removing the conflicting packages.
  • Network connectivity issues: Ensure that the system has internet connectivity before attempting updates.

Integration

Combine with ‘cron’ for scheduled updates:

crontab -e
00 00 * * * dnf-automatic update

Use with ‘dnf-plugin-system-upgrade’ for system upgrades:

dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade dnf-automatic
dnf-automatic enable
dnf-system-upgrade download --releasever=Next

Related Commands

  • dnf: Command-line package manager
  • yum: Legacy package manager (replaced by dnf)
  • dnf-plugin-system-upgrade: Tool for performing system upgrades