Installing Specific Package Versions With Yum

To find all available versions of a package in your repository, use the --showduplicates flag:

dnf list --showduplicates kernel

Or for other packages:

dnf list --showduplicates <package-name>

The output shows both installed and available versions with their release tags. For example:

Installed Packages
kernel.x86_64                 6.8.1-1.fc39              @updates
Available Packages
kernel.x86_64                 6.7.12-200.fc39           updates
kernel.x86_64                 6.6.25-1.fc39             updates
kernel.x86_64                 6.5.13-300.fc39           fedora

Installing a Specific Version

Once you’ve identified the version you need, install it by specifying the full package name with the version:

dnf install kernel-6.7.12-200.fc39

If the package is already installed, DNF will handle keeping both versions (particularly useful for kernels, where you want a fallback option in the bootloader).

For non-kernel packages that conflict with the current version, you may need to explicitly allow downgrading:

dnf downgrade package-name-X.Y.Z

Or to replace the current version entirely:

dnf install --allowerasing package-name-X.Y.Z

Working with Historical Versions

If a version isn’t showing in the default repositories, check if it’s archived:

dnf search --all kernel

For very old versions, you might need to enable archived or EOL repositories. On RHEL/CentOS, this could mean adjusting /etc/yum.repos.d/ configs. On Fedora, old releases are typically archived and require manually pointing to the archive repository.

Checking What’s Installed

View all versions of a package currently on your system:

dnf list installed | grep <package-name>

To see detailed information about a specific package version:

dnf info package-name-X.Y.Z

Preventing Automatic Updates

If you install an older package, DNF may try to update it on the next system upgrade. To pin a package to a specific version, add it to the exclude list in /etc/dnf/dnf.conf:

[main]
excludepkgs=kernel-6.5.13-300.fc39

Or use DNF’s mark command to lock it:

dnf mark hold package-name-X.Y.Z
dnf mark remove  # to unlock

Note on DNF vs Yum

On RHEL 8+ and Fedora 22+, dnf is the standard package manager. The yum command is aliased to DNF on these systems, but DNF offers improved dependency resolution and cleaner command syntax. The examples here use dnf; the commands work identically if you substitute yum.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems during installation, check these common solutions:

Ensure your system packages are up to date before installing new software
Check for conflicting packages that might prevent installation
Verify network connectivity if downloading packages from external repositories
Review system logs in /var/log/ for detailed error messages

Verification Steps

After installation, verify everything is working correctly by checking the installed version and running basic functionality tests. Most command-line tools respond to the –version or -v flag to display their version information.

Keeping Your Installation Updated

Regularly update your system to receive security patches and bug fixes. On Fedora, use dnf update. On Ubuntu and Debian, use apt update followed by apt upgrade. For software installed via language-specific package managers like pip, npm, or gem, check their respective update commands.

Quick Reference

This article covered the essential concepts and commands for the topic. For more information, consult the official documentation or manual pages. The key takeaway is to understand the fundamentals before applying advanced configurations.

Practice in a test environment before making changes on production systems. Keep notes of what works and what does not for future reference.

Installing Specific Package Versions with Yum