To start using Ximian Red Carpet, select System Software Update from the menu panel, or type red-carpet at the command line. Enter your root password when prompted.
The Red Carpet window has two major sections that display information. In the center, there is a list of software packages. On the left side of the window is a list of transactions. As you use Red Carpet, you will choose software from the package list to install or remove, adding the installation or removal to the list of actions.
For detailed information about a package, select it and click the Information button.
NOTE: To change the way information is sorted, click the headers at the top of the columns of data. For example, to sort software in alphabetical order by package name, click the Package header. Click again to sort in reverse alphabetical order.
To select a package, click on it with the left mouse button. You can select multiple packages by holding down Ctrl and clicking, or select a range using Shift. To select all packages in the list, press Ctrl-A.
To mark a package for installation or removal, click the Mark for Installation or Mark for Removal buttons at the bottom of the screen. You can also click the Action column to choose an action for each package.
There are only two basic kinds of transactions in Red Carpet: installation and removal. An upgrade is essentially the removal of the old version and installation of the new one. Therefore, there are only two actions you can choose: Mark for Installation and Mark for Removal.
Where appropriate, Red Carpet displays upgrades as though they were single transactions. For example, the History view has an Action column that displays upgrades as well as installs or removals.
To remove an item from the list of pending transactions, select it and click Cancel or right-click on it and select Cancel.
When you are done choosing actions, click the Run Now button. Red Carpet will then check to see if additional actions are required. For example, if you attempt to install a new spelling dictionary, but do not have the spelling tool, you will need to install the the spelling tool as well as the dictionary.
Red Carpet will present you with a list of the actions that it is about to take, and ask you to conrm or cancel. If you are satised with the set of actions, click Continue.
For best performance, select a mirror near you. To learn how to choose a mirror, and why mirrors can give you a faster download, read the Section called General Preferences.