Software Repository
A list of repositories available to the server. A software repository is a storage location where updates and new packages can be downloaded and installed on the server. Apps available in the Marketplace are dependent on which repositories are enabled.
Installation
If your system does not have this app available, you can install it via the Marketplace. Unless you are an advanced user/admin or wish to participate in beta testing, you probably do not need to change/edit your repositories settings and will not need to install this app.
Menu
You can find this feature in the menu system at the following location:
Repositories
Like many Open Source Software projects, ClearOS uses different repositories maintained by the ClearFoundation and ClearCenter developer teams to make software packages (RPMs) available for install or upgrade.
Separate repositories provide control to the user administering the ClearOS system. By enabling a repository, an admin is essentially placing their 'trust' in the software packages that exist not only today, but in future updates.
In ClearOS and in general, software repositories are used to separate software packages according to pre-defined criteria. For example, a repository may be maintained by contributors - those developers who are not a part of the base development team but create apps to enhance the functionality of ClearOS.
Another key role of repositories is to nurture newly released packages through a process of validation. In ClearOS, that pathway for an app goes as follows:
- updates-testing
- updates
- os/clearos (final releases)
The next section will detail some of the repositories you'll find in ClearOS and what they are used for.
Default ClearOS Repositories
The following is a list of repositories you will find for ClearOS. They are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of stability or progress through the development process.
clearos
On the ClearOS 7 directory, the packages (files) this repository contains is actually the folder named os/x86_64/ClearOS. These packages make up the install media that is used to conventionally deploy ClearOS so that the base software can be installed your your computer or virtual environment. As with any software, updates to individual packages are released to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities or add new features. These updates will replace the versions you install from the install media. Depending on how long ago the install media was built compared to when you installed the software, you may have very few or a large number of updates to apply.
clearos-contribs
Third party packages are maintained in the clearos-contribs repository.
clearos-updates-testing
When a package is first introduced to the ClearOS software management system (and created by one of the core developer team members), it will reside in the clearos-updates-testing repository. Packages in this repository would/should be considered pre-beta quality at best.
clearos-developer
The clearos-developer repository contains some tools for ClearOS app development.
clearos-updates
This repository contains both apps and updates for the ClearOS operating system. Packages here have been through the quality control process, both upstream from source code used to create ClearOS, in addition to ClearCenter's own QA resources.
private-clearcenter-xyz
These repositories are private, password protected repos used to delivery subscription based services or apps that are not free to the public. For example, if you are subscribed to ClearCenter's Remote Server Backup service, you will see listed in your repository settings:
private-clearcenter-remote-server-backup
Additional ClearOS Repositories
In addition to the base ClearOS operating system, the following repositories are available.
clearos-centos - clearos-centos-updates
ClearOS is a specialized Linux distribution designed to be a server/gateway for small and distributed organizations. The software is derived from a subset of source code from a general purpose server distribution - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 1). Though only a subset of source packages are used, the full set of packages from CentOS have been rebuilt and available in the clearos-centos/clearos-centos-updates repositories.
clearos-epel
The clearos-epel repository provides quick access to the popular EPEL / Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux repository.
Enabling/Disabling a Repository
The summary page lists all repositories without much detail - repository name, description and enable/disable status.
To view a detailed summary along with toggles for enabling/disabling a repository, click on the Detailed View link. You will see a full layout table containing number of packages along with a button for each repository to enable/disable.