Node.js v20 and Other Updated Packages Require New IBM i Repositories

As we mentioned in our article on installing ODBC via yum, the latest IBM i open source packages require new repositories.

A notable example is Node.js v20. When we hear users say, “I don’t see Node.js v20 listed in available packages, and yum returns ‘No package nodejs20 available‘,” the reason invariably is that the new repositories, ibmi-base and ibmi-release, have not been installed.

How to install the new repositories

The ibmi-repos package, available in IBM i 7.3 and higher, installs the new repositories.

Install ibmi-repos from an SSH terminal or the equivalent clicks from ACS Open Source Package Manager:

• yum install ibmi-repos
• yum upgrade ibmi-repos

Note: Since the yum package “requires” ibmi-repos, upgrading yum also works.

Once that’s done, you can install packages from ibmi-base and ibmi-release.

What if the old ibm repository causes errors?

The old ibm repository may contain obsolete settings, such as using ftp:// or insecure http://. After you install the new repositories as directed above, you will no longer need the old ibm repository. If you get download errors mentioning repository ibm, you can disable it. Using any file editor, even WRKLNK, edit this file: /QOpenSys/etc/yum/repos.d/ibm.repo and change the value enabled=1 to enabled=0. You can even delete the ibm.repo file altogether once you are confident it is not needed.

More information about the new repositories

• Jesse Gorzinski’s article: “Everything You Need to Know About the New IBM i RPM Repositories”
• IBM documentation: https://ibmi-oss-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/yum/IBM_REPOS.html
• Note for users of IBM i 7.2: The new repositories, and certain updates such as Node.js v20, will not be available on 7.2 and below.