Is this expected behaviour or is something wrong? It's generally expected. Should i use packman or packman-essential? Essential only has codecs and non-free software, the full packman has a lot of other community packages. How likely it is that packman will break packages? It's not a common occurrence, but you should also remember that packman doesn't update at the exact same time that the main repos do. So sometimes you'll have problems with an update, and just need to wait a few hours for packman to post their new versions as well. Answer from sy029 on reddit.com
openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › Additional_package_repositories
Additional package repositories - openSUSE Wiki
June 3, 2026 - Packman offers various additional packages for openSUSE, especially but not limited to multimedia related applications and libraries that are on the openSUSE Build Service application blacklist. It's the largest external repository of openSUSE packages.
Home
Live USB stick NVIDIA drivers System ... Installing codecs from Packman repositories Encrypted root file system Recover root password Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points Radeon Login as root Linuxrc · Retrieved from "https://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=Main_P...
Wiki
The openSUSE wiki is the source of information about the openSUSE project and distribution · The goal is to provide high quality documentation and a place for collaboration on all parts of the project. This is done in a well structured, standardized and easy readable way.
Project
The project is controlled by its community and relies on the contributions of individuals, working as testers, writers, translators, usability experts, artists and ambassadors or developers. The project embraces a wide variety of technology, people with different levels of expertise, speaking ...
Distribution
They are aimed towards users and developers working on the desktop or server. They are great for beginners, experienced users and ultra geeks alike, in short, they are perfect for everybody! The latest release, openSUSE Leap 16.0, based on SUSE Linux Enterprise, features updated software packages ...
openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › SDB:Installing_codecs_from_Packman_repositories
SDB:Installing codecs from Packman repositories - openSUSE Wiki
Click "Switch system packages" to packages from Packman repository. Click Accept and Continue, after the codecs will get installed, You should be able to play your multimedia files without any issues. opi (Open Build Service Package Installer) works on both Leap and Tumbleweed: ... Retrieved from "https://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=SDB:Installing_codecs_from_Packman_repositories&oldid=204014"
Proper way to add packman?
After zypper ar -cfp 90 'https://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/packman/suse/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/' packman the zypper lr column GPG Check shows ( p) Yes but, on 2 other systems where it was added as part of installing OBS Studio it’s (r ) Yes and working well so seems likely that’s the way ... More on forums.opensuse.org
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November 26, 2023Confused about what the packman repo does?
Is this expected behaviour or is something wrong? It's generally expected. Should i use packman or packman-essential? Essential only has codecs and non-free software, the full packman has a lot of other community packages. How likely it is that packman will break packages? It's not a common occurrence, but you should also remember that packman doesn't update at the exact same time that the main repos do. So sometimes you'll have problems with an update, and just need to wait a few hours for packman to post their new versions as well. More on reddit.com
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April 5, 2023Is packman really still needed?
I have been using openSUSE for so long that I don’t even think about it. New release, install, add packman repo, zyppe dup … I even remember a time when you could actually purchase “non-free” gstreamer codecs from SuSE! Why? It seems to me that the most relevant patents over codecs ... More on forums.opensuse.org
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July 16, 2024Packman vs. Packman Essentials on OpenSUSE Tumbleweed ?
Packman repositories regularly get out-of-sync when a new Tumbleweed snapshot gets released. It’s not a big problem since usually it’s enough to wait with the update a few hours/days until the dependency issues get resolved. Nonetheless, using full Packman increases the chances for such dependency issues. I‘d recommend to just use Packman for codecs and install any applications that aren’t available in the official repositories as Flatpak (even Chrome and Anydesk) or use distrobox for CLI applications. You also could get around having to install codecs from Packman Esentials by using the Flatpak versions of your Music- and Videoplayers. More on reddit.com
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December 13, 2025Videos
04:21
Packman Repos- Fixing Codecs issue in OpenSUSE Linux - YouTube
DEPRECATED: openSUSE Tumbleweed: Adding the ...
Packman Repos- Fixing Codecs issue in OpenSUSE Linux
20:46
Instalador OPI En Open SUSE | PACKMAN - YouTube
03:10
openSUSE Tumbleweed: Installing OBS & VLC from the Packman Repo ...
Medium
medium.com › @egee_irl › how-to-enable-packman-in-opensuse-e981f55b431
How to enable the Packman repo in openSUSE | Medium
June 21, 2020 - Learn how to enable the Packman repositories for openSUSE that enables restricted and binary packages.
openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › applications
Proper way to add packman? - Applications - openSUSE Forums
November 26, 2023 - After zypper ar -cfp 90 'https://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/packman/suse/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/' packman the zypper lr column GPG Check shows ( p) Yes but, on 2 other systems where it was added as part of installing OBS Studio it’s (r ) Yes and working well so seems likely that’s the way ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › confused about what the packman repo does?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: Confused about what the packman repo does?
April 5, 2023 -
Just installed Tumbleweed and read on the opensuse website that I have to add Packman repo.
Now, what i know is that I need it for codecs and it is 3rd-party.
Then, it tells me to run:
sudo zypper dup --from packman --allow-vendor-change
The command gave me some results that confused me because it is trying to upgrade some packages and install some new ones but along with that it downgrading some as well. And then, changing the vendor for all of them.
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Is this expected behaviour or is something wrong?
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Should i use packman or packman-essential?
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How likely it is that packman will break packages?
Top answer 1 of 4
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Is this expected behaviour or is something wrong? It's generally expected. Should i use packman or packman-essential? Essential only has codecs and non-free software, the full packman has a lot of other community packages. How likely it is that packman will break packages? It's not a common occurrence, but you should also remember that packman doesn't update at the exact same time that the main repos do. So sometimes you'll have problems with an update, and just need to wait a few hours for packman to post their new versions as well.
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Packman is the community repo. It includes Mesa packages built with support for licensed codecs that can't be included in the main repos for legal reasons. This behaviour is totally expectes and nothing to be worried about.
Shells
kb.shells.com › tutorials › OpenSUSE_Latest › packman
packman on OpenSUSE - Shells KB
Packman is a package repository for OpenSUSE, providing additional software packages that are not available in the official repositories.
Links2linux
packman.links2linux.org
PackMan :: home
You must also be prepared for higher internet traffic on your end, as you will need to download the latest versions of packaged software, keep your SUSE system up-to-date and upload your packages onto the Packman FTP server.
2DayGeek
2daygeek.com › home › how to enable packman repository in opensuse leap
Install / Enable Packman Repository on openSUSE 13.1, 13.2 & 42.1 | 2DayGeek
February 16, 2021 - It’s the largest external repository of openSUSE packages. openSUSE ships with official repositories & components which will not included some important packages due to licensing and patent issues. If we want to install all those package we should install/enable packman repository to openSUSE system.
openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › multimedia
Is packman really still needed? - Multimedia - openSUSE Forums
July 16, 2024 - I have been using openSUSE for so long that I don’t even think about it. New release, install, add packman repo, zyppe dup … I even remember a time when you could actually purchase “non-free” gstreamer codecs from SuSE! Why? It seems to me that the most relevant patents over codecs ...
openSUSE
software.opensuse.org › download › package
Install package system:packagemanager / pacman
zypper addrepo https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/system:packagemanager/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/system:packagemanager.repo zypper refresh zypper install pacman
Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › packman vs. packman essentials on opensuse tumbleweed ?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: Packman vs. Packman Essentials on OpenSUSE Tumbleweed ?
December 13, 2025 -
Hi,
I'm a seasoned Linux user (two and a half decades of experience) but I'm new to OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.
Here's my current repository setup:
# zypper repos --priority # | Alias | Name | Enabled | GPG Check | Refresh | Priority --+------------+------------+---------+-----------+---------+------- 1 | anydesk | anydesk | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 100 2 | chrome | chrome | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 100 3 | essentials | essentials | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 90 4 | non-oss | non-oss | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 99 5 | nvidia | nvidia | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 100 6 | oss | oss | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 99 7 | updates | updates | Yes | (r ) Yes | Yes | 99
There's a couple packages I'd need that are not to be found in any official or third-party repository. Like a command-line only version of MPlayer, or OBS Studio.
I wonder if I should move from Packman Essentials to plain Packman. Before doing that, I'd like to ask the seasoned Tumbleweed users among you. What can I expect ? Smooth experience ? Breakage ?
Cheers,
Niki
Top answer 1 of 5
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Packman repositories regularly get out-of-sync when a new Tumbleweed snapshot gets released. It’s not a big problem since usually it’s enough to wait with the update a few hours/days until the dependency issues get resolved. Nonetheless, using full Packman increases the chances for such dependency issues. I‘d recommend to just use Packman for codecs and install any applications that aren’t available in the official repositories as Flatpak (even Chrome and Anydesk) or use distrobox for CLI applications. You also could get around having to install codecs from Packman Esentials by using the Flatpak versions of your Music- and Videoplayers.
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Hello. If you are only going to use proprietary audio-video codecs, it is better to use only packman-essentials. Packman is a repository maintained by the community but not subject to openSUSE quality testing and verification. The default Tumbleweed installation already comes with all openh264 libraries enabled, meaning that by default you will be able to view videos in mp4, mkv, etc., which is the vast majority of videos. It is explained in this part of the wiki: SDB:Installing codecs from Packman repositories - openSUSE Wiki
Reddit
reddit.com › r › openSUSE › wiki › packman
r/openSUSE Guide: Using Packman Repository
July 20, 2019 - You can browse the sub repositories with your web browser http://packman.jacobs-university.de/suse/ or via any of the mirrors listed here.
Top answer 1 of 2
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You mean Packman, not Pacman, as per your title, but not in the actual question.
And yes, they are available.
I tend to use the mirror at Packman openSUSE mirror
You are best though going to the packman site at packman main site & pick a local mirror.
You still need to add a repository via yast2 repositories rather than adding it manually if you are not comfortable doing it that way.
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Could someone tell me if the Pacman
nonsensical; pacman is the packaging tool from a different, incompatible distro. There's no "pacman for OpenSUSE".
and Mozilla repositories are available for the new Leap 16?
Mozilla's software (Firefox and thunderbird) are packaged by OpenSuse itself. Thus, they are in your standard system repositories. No special setup needed.
There's (to the best of my knowledge) no channel for "experimental/nightly" releases of Firefox or Thunderbird for OpenSUSE leap. But you definitely don't care about these anyways, from your other question, as you want to use them, not develop them.
openSUSE
en.opensuse.org › Package_repositories
Package repositories - openSUSE Wiki
May 30, 2026 - Packman · Kubic · Guide (unofficial) Mirrors · Lizards · Page · Discussion · View View source History · Jump to: navigation, search · Documentation> Package management · Package repositories - Additional package repositories - KDE repositories - GNOME repositories - LXDE repositories - Xfce repositories - Cinnamon repositories - Add package repositories - Vendor change update · These are the official openSUSE repositories.
openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › applications
Packman vendor change - Applications - openSUSE Forums
March 20, 2023 - Fresh install of Tumbleweed and I added the packman repository via yast. Then ran these commands: sudo zypper dup --from packman --allow-vendor-change [sudo] password for root: Loading repository data... Reading installed packages... Computing distribution upgrade...
openSUSE Community
opensuse-community.org
openSUSE multimedia codecs and more via one click
Multimedia Codecs including MP3, DVD, DivX, MP4, x265, x264, WMV, WMA, MOV and more via One click to install patented / restricted / proprietary software on openSUSE. NOTE: These One-Click Installers currently only work with the Firefox web browser. This will install patented software needed by the default multimedia players. In the process it will add the Packman repository, allowing you to easily install even more multimedia software such as VLC, MPlayer or ffmpeg.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › proper way of adding packman to tumbleweed?
r/openSUSE on Reddit: Proper way of adding packman to Tumbleweed?
November 23, 2018 -
Dear all,
What is the proper or right way of adding packman to a Tumbleweed Installation?
On the wiki it is explained with changing the priority and then a dup from the added repository:
https://en.opensuse.org/Additional_package_repositories#Packman
Is this the safe way or is it better via yast (priority 99) and then switch all system packages to versions of packman (via yast software Tool)?
Top answer 1 of 3
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I have always enabled the pre-set Packman repository, I install the missing codecs. I've never set priorities since now zypper dup no longer allows vendor-change. Never had problems.
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I wrote a python script to handle my installation and use of packman. Now I will say that I use it for Leap versions. But essentially it does the following: sudo zypper ar -f -c http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/packman/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.0/ packman sudo zypper ref sudo zypper dup --from packman I use those main three commands, just replace the leap packamn link with tumbleweed and it should work really well. If you are good with python my complete script is: import os import sys repo = os.system('sudo zypper ar -f -c http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/packman/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.0/ packman') refresh = os.system('sudo zypper ref') vendorChange = os.system('sudo zypper dup --from packman') firefoxCodec = os.system('sudo zypper install libavcodec56 libavcodec57 libavformat56 libavformat57 libavdevice56 libavdevice57') vlc = os.system('sudo zypper install vlc vlc-codecs vlc-codec-gstreamer vlc-lang vlc-noX vlc-qt libvlccore9 libvlc5 ffmpeg')
Reddit
reddit.com › r/opensuse › difference between packman and packman-essentials
r/openSUSE on Reddit: Difference between packman and packman-essentials
June 27, 2024 -
I'm trying to figure out if packman-essentials is good enough for me. What are the differences between packman and packman-essentials? Are there packages in packman which are not in packman-essentials just an addition to the official OpenSuse repos or are there as well packages with additionally codes compiled?
OpenRepos
openrepos.net › tags › opensuse-packman
opensuse-packman | OpenRepos.net — Community Repository System
Home » opensuse-packman · Coding Competition · Applications · Application · Adult Content · Ambience & Themes · Business · City guides & maps · Education & Science · Entertainment · Music · Network · News & info · Patches · Photo & video · Public Transport ·
openSUSE Forums
forums.opensuse.org › english › applications
What is the difference between Packman and Packman Repository? - Applications - openSUSE Forums
February 1, 2024 - Do I need them both?Preformatted text localhost:~ # zypper lr -d # | Alias | Name | Enabled | GPG Check | Refresh | Priority | Type | URI …