[KLUG Members] Re: sendmail version? -- package management

[Bryan J. Smith]

Quoting bill <bill@billtron.com>:
> How can I find the version of a Linux program, in this case sendmail?
> In Windows, I could right-click and choose properties, but in RH 7.3
> that doesn't show it.

Correct, for various reasons.

In UNIX, we don't trust binaries.  Trusting binaries for anything is the #1
problem with trojan horses.  We only trust packages which have
checksum/signatures for those binaries.  As such, use the package management
system of your underlying UNIX flavor.

For RedHat, this is RPM.

   $ rpm -q sendmail

[ Query package "sendmail" ]

If you're unsure of the exact name, try:

   $ rpm -qa | grep -i sendmail

[ Query "all" packages, "grep" (search) for any case (-i case independent) of
string "sendmail" ]

Package management seems overly convoluted at first, but it is a great tool when
you learn how to wield it properly.  It's the #1 reason as a longtime NT
administrator that I _prefer_ UNIX (#2 would be text-based configuration).

-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I. (BSECE)       Contact Info:  http://thebs.org
[ http://thebs.org/files/resume/BryanJonSmith_certifications.pdf ]
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