Novell Linux Desktop 9 Users Handbook

Red Carpet provides you with the ability to quickly do a system software update, including updates for installed applications and applets. Red Carpet updates are provided by servers set up to support NLD. These are called services. The services supply update channels that you can subscribe to (for example, the NLD channel), meaning that you need to be connected to the Internet to run the Red Carpet update.

You have the option of installing all the available updates or selecting individual updates for specific applications or applets. In terms of updating the NLD software, Red Carpet is quick and painless, particularly if you don't overthink the whole update process and allow Red Carpet to install all the updates that are located.

You can select to install all available updates or install individual updates.

Red Carpet's capabilities don't end with easy updates. You can also quickly view the software installed on your system. This makes it easy to view the information for a particular package. You also have the option of removing packages if you want.

Installed packages can be reviewed and removed.

Note

Red Carpet is easy to deal with because your subscribed channels provide the update list and allow you to view software available on the channels. You don't have to deal with CDs or DVDs; everything is handled online.

When you are perusing installed software packages, you might find the complete list rather long and imposing. You can use the Sections drop-down list to view subsets of installed and available software. For example, if you just want to see the productivity tools installed, you can select Productivity on the All Sections drop-down list.

Viewing software by the various sections (such as Productivity, Games, Multimedia, and Internet) also makes it easier to then look at the information related to a specific package because you know what type of package it is. To view the information for a specific package, select the package and then select the Information button. The Information dialog for the package provides package information and also allows you to view the dependencies for the package.

You can view the information for a specific package.

Red Carpet is an intuitive tool in terms of working with updates and adding other available packages or removing installed packages. The History tab in the Red Carpet window allows you to peruse a date and time list of updates including the new and replaced version of the updated package.