Introduction

Red Carpet 2 has a number of important differences from the previous version. The appearance and interface have been completely overhauled, and there are several new features like enhanced search tools and the ability to make a list of removals and installations, then then do everything at once.

One important structural difference is that, as of version 2.0, Red Carpet the graphical tool is actually a client for rcd, the Red Carpet Daemon. Having two pieces means:

• You can update remote systems that are running the daemon. Select File > Connect to choose a remote host.
• You have a choice between the graphical red-carpet program and the command line rug tools. Both tools require the rcd package. Detailed information about rug and rcd are available in their man pages (standard UNIX manuals). You can read them by typing man rug or man rcd at the command line.

What Is a Package

Software for most versions of Linux is shipped as a package file, most commonly the rpm or deb format. Each package contains a set of files that constitute the software itself, plus additional information about what the software is, what requirements it has, and where it should be installed. Proper packaging makes software easier to install, upgrade, or remove, and can help manage the interdependencies among various programs.

Ximian Red Carpet supports the rpm (Red Hat Package Manager, used by most distributions), and the deb (Debian) package formats.

What Are Channels and Sections?

Ximian Red Carpet groups software into channels. For example, "Red Hat 8.0," "Ximian Evolution Beta Snapshots," and "Ximian Desktop" are all channels. You can subscribe to channels that interest you, and ignore those that do not. Ximian Red Carpet will not install or update software from channels to which you are not installed.

To subscribe to a channel, select Edit > Channel Subscriptions or click the Channels button in the toolbar. A window will open to show you the list of available channels. Check the box next to a channel to subscribe.

Some channels also have groupings called sections, which describe the purpose of the individual pieces of software. "Imaging," "Productivity," and "Development" are examples of sections.

Ximian Red Carpet also gives you access to two important services from Ximian, Inc. The rst service, Red Carpet Express, is for individuals, and offers access to special high-speed servers with faster connections, so you get better download rates. The other service, Ximian Red Carpet Enterprise, is aimed at businesses and workgroups that want to manage software deployment on a larger scale.

To find out more about using Red Carpet Express, read the Section called Red Carpet Express: More Software, Faster. For more about Red Carpet Enterprise visit the Ximian website.