Quiz: Package Management

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4 questions

L0 (1 questions)

1. What is the difference between dpkg/rpm and apt/dnf?

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dpkg and rpm are low-level tools that operate on individual package files without resolving dependencies. apt (Debian) and dnf (RHEL) are high-level tools that resolve dependencies, fetch from repositories, and handle upgrades automatically. Use apt/dnf for 99% of operations; use dpkg/rpm for inspection, forensics, and emergencies.

L1 (1 questions)

1. How do you prevent a critical package from being accidentally upgraded in production?

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Debian/Ubuntu: 'apt-mark hold nginx' prevents upgrades (check with 'apt-mark showhold'). RHEL: use the versionlock plugin: 'dnf versionlock add nginx-1.24.0-1.el9'. Alternatively, use excludepkgs=nginx* in /etc/dnf/dnf.conf. Warning: a held package can block apt upgrade if other packages depend on a newer version.

L2 (1 questions)

1. A dpkg install left a package in a half-configured broken state. What is the triage sequence to fix it?

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1. dpkg --audit — identify what is broken.
2. apt --fix-broken install — let apt resolve dependencies.
3. dpkg --configure -a — finish any pending configurations.
4. If still broken: dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq then reinstall cleanly.
5. Check /var/log/dpkg.log and /var/log/apt/history.log for the timeline of what happened.

L3 (1 questions)

1. Why is dnf history undo a strong advantage over Debian for production rollbacks, and what is the Debian workaround?

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dnf tracks every transaction with an ID. 'dnf history undo 127' reverts all changes from transaction 127 (downgrades, removes additions). Debian has no native transaction rollback. Workarounds: track changes externally with Ansible, use etckeeper for /etc changes, parse /var/log/apt/history.log to manually identify and downgrade packages. This is why RHEL-family distributions are often preferred for production.