AutoUpdate is a Perl based tool that works like RedHat's autorpm or up2date, helping in updating and managing software packages efficiently.
What's more, AutoUpdate is not limited to RedHat-specific tasks and can work with any other RPM-based distribution. In comparison to up2date, the program can upgrade both RedHat and third-party rpms. Only the server will download the new rpms while the clients get them from the server. The program will try to handle dependencies and choose the correct architecture if more than one is available. Remote rpm version-comparisons are done by looking solely at the file name, not the entire rpm header, unless a special repository has been set up.
Designed to keep the output to a minimum, the program operates in five independent modes: download, get, update/install, merge, and purge. The mode is determined by the invocation name and/or command-line options.
For example, in download mode (autodld), the program connects to a given remote site (currently file, ftp, http, https, and sftp supported) to find and compare all available rpms with either the rpm directory or the installed rpms. The program then downloads all new and updated version of rpms. The remote site can be given on the command line or through a configuration file.
AutoUpdate requires Perl and RPM to work. The latest release fixes the broken get mode in multi-arch systems. In summary, AutoUpdate is a useful program with many features to keep servers and clients running smoothly and up-to-date.
Version 5.5.2: N/A