use --nosignature in case there is no signature for some packages when installing with rpm After those steps you can use smart to add new packages. The first time you execute smart, it will add channels automatically. Try installing kdepim/kdebase and firefox/openoffice for a minimal desktop system. smart is the best package manager to date, install smart-gui, smart-update and ksmarttray from the rpms or from smart it self to enjoy all the goodness. You use smart to install yum again to use both. NOTES - fc5 image on sourceforge has a problem when you try to install ssh server. Do this to fix: or