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From within YaST, select Online Update. YaST uses software installation sources that have been defined in YaST's Installation Source module to enable you to begin retrieving software updates with a single click. It presents you with a list of patches from which you can choose. Security patches are in red, all recommended patches are selected, and optional patches are shown (unselected). It's easy to see all available patches and read their descriptions to determine if you want them.
After you have selected the updates you want and clicked OK, you can watch the progress as each patch and updated package is downloaded and installed. Having security-related patches and other fixes separated and having the ability to read all about each software update and patch right on the YaST window before you start downloading are features that make YaST Online Update a powerful and easy-to-use software update mechanism.
Managing Software with zypper Although the rpm command is good for managing single applications, SUSE needed a tool that
could work well with online repositories and deal with issues of dependent packages and updates.
The recently added zypper utility is just such a tool.
The zypper utility is similar to the yum utility that is used with Fedora and other Red Hat systems.
With zypper, not only can you install packages, but you can also search, download, and query
packages from online SUSE repositories. The zypper utility is also designed to support several different
software backends, including Novell Rug (Red Carpet updater), ZENworks software manager, and yum repositories.
Getting Support for SUSE and openSUSE
SUSE has an excellent support database and full-time support staff. You can search many of the articles on the site for free and check out the FAQs. Paid support options are available as well. The openSUSE·org Wiki (http://en·opensuse·org) is the place to search for answers about openSUSE. To try the free search engine at the site, just enter your term in the Search box. Check the news and events box for the latest news about openSUSE. For a more interactive experience, select the Communicate link to gain access to mailing lists, online forums, IRC chats, and other tools for connecting you to the openSUSE community. You can also follow links to PlanetSUSE (http://planetsuse·org), where you can read blogs from members of the openSUSE community. If you are really stuck, try the openSUSE Support Database (http://opensuse·org/SDB:SDB).