extracted in part from: http://www.tfug.org/helpdesk/linux/rpm.html
Guide to RPM:

Querying System 

	rpm -qa | more

The package info is in 3 pieces. 
	The first piece is the package name. 
	The second is the software version number. 
	The third is the package build number. 

query individual packages: 

	rpm -qi faq

The i query option requires a package name. 
	Notice faq was used and not faq-5.0-2. 
	Rpm will work without version info. 


files an RPM installed on your system:

	rpm -ql faq


Installing New Software 
	rpm -ivh xsnow-1.40-5.i386.rpm

The -i is the install switch. 
     v is for verbose 
     h option shows progress with hash marks. 

Upgrade: 
	rpm -Uvh xsnow-2.0-1.i386.rpm

Removing Software 
	rpm -e faq

Verifying Installed Packages 
	rpm -Va


Advanced Queries 
What if you find a file and have no idea what it is or where it came from? 
Rpm can query that file and show you the package it originated from like this: 
	rpm -qf /usr/bin/uptime

You have looked at files that are already installed, 
but can you see into a rpm archive? Yes, query with the p option. 
	rpm -qlp doom-1.8-9.i386.rpm

Notice the -ql is the same as the first section. 
The third argument to the command is a little different than before. 
We used the filename instead of the shorter package name. 

Common Errors 
 package not removed cleanly? 
	rpm says its already installed. 
	try to remove it, and rpm says that is not installed. 

	rpm -ivh --force package-1.0-5.i386.rpm
		The --force option is the solution. 

also to make a depot (centos 6 - 64 bit):  
sudo rpm -Uvh http://pkgs.repoforge.org/rpmforge-release/rpmforge-release-0.5.3-1.el6.rf.x86_64.rpm