How to install tar files

[Linux-Us]

Hi everyone
I am new to linux. I have installed fedora 11 on my computer. I looks nice but truly speaking I have no much idea about the operating system yet. By for sure, I will learn it. It have installed some .rpm packages on my computer and they were installed successfully. My question is that on most of the web sites I see tar files for downloading. What does these tar files mean and how to install them, that is what are the command to install them. Please help

[Raine]

Hello
A tar file is actually called a tarball file, basically it is a compressed file. Most it is compressed with gzip or bzip2 programs. Most you will find it in the form .tar.gz. Just follow the steps and you can then install a tarball files.
1) Extract the tarball file using the following command

tar -zxvf file.tar.gz

This is for, if the tarball file is compressed with gzip

tar -jxvf file.tar.bz2

And This is for, if the tarball file is compressed with bzip2
2) After you have finished with the extraction move to the that directory and locate the documentation. Usually you will find an readme or install file in this directory or there will be a sub directory with name doc or something like that. From there you have to read how to install the software.
3) The install procedure is same for mostly all tar files. Now you have to compile the source format.

./configure

4) Then you have to build the source files, issue the following command

make

5) And finally you have to install the package

make install

I hope that now you can install a tarball file, it not that hard. If any more queries, post back again.

[Linux-Us]

Hi
Thanks for the reply and for you informative post
I have a few more questions. Can all these files be extracted in fedora. And also I am confused to where to issue these command. Please help.

./configure
make
make install

Any advice or suggestion will be appreciated.

[Raine]

Hi
The commands which you are talking about are to be issued in the terminal.

./configure
make
make install

And remember one thing that you have to be in the extracted directory. And then issue the command one by one in the same order as shown above. Feel free to ask.