Package Repositories

From openSUSE

These are the official openSUSE repositories. Well tested packages, security and bugfixes are provided. Online ones are convenient to use if you have good bandwidth. For information on how to add them, see Add Package Repositories to YaST.

On disks Official repositories

The first repositories that you may have seen are the CDs (for openSUSE before 10.3) or DVDs. You can have several sorts of such repositories, with different contents. None of them, including the huge two layer DVDs of the 11.0 box, include all the openSUSE packages, so you will also need the online repositories if possible.

For YaST, there is no difference between online (internet) and on disk (DVD or hard drive) repositories, all the packages are seen as if they where on a very big drive.

Downloadable OSS DVD

This is one single layer, smaller than 4Gb DVD (for file system compatibility reason). It hosts the most important packages, but this makes only a very small subset of the whole openSUSE.

Boxed DVD

The one which is available for a fee from Novell or from your dealer. For the 11.0 openSUSE, it's a double layer DVD. This box include some proprietary applications needed for example for mp3 reading that can't be downloaded because they are not free. This completely legal setup can only be found by buying the box.

But even this double DVD don't hold all the openSUSE packages.

Using DVDs and online repositories

If you keep your computer always connected via a broadband connection, you can remove the "repository" OSS DVD if you install the standard online repository below. If you use the box one, it's better to keep it because the proprietary software is only available there.

If you have enough disk space, you can also download a repository snapshot, but be advised that this can take up to 20Gb or even more.

Official Repositories

Please note that the repositories located at software.opensuse.org/download have been moved to download.opensuse.org/repositories.

Semi Official Repositories

These are repositories available which are not officially supported by openSUSE, but they contain useful packages which you should feel free to use at your own risk.