The following is an example of how to use this option with an uninstalled package.
# yum install --downloadonly 3proxy
Loaded plugins: aliases, downloadonly, filter-data, local, merge-conf,
: presto, refresh-packagekit, tmprepo
Skipping filters plugin, no data
Setting up Install Process
Resolving Dependencies
Skipping filters plugin, no data
--> Running transaction check
---> Package 3proxy.x86_64 0:0.6.1-10.fc14 set to be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
Dependencies Resolved
============================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
============================================================================
Installing:
3proxy x86_64 0.6.1-10.fc14 updates 150 k
Transaction Summary
============================================================================
Install 1 Package(s)
Total download size: 150 k
Installed size: 495 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
Setting up and reading Presto delta metadata
Processing delta metadata
Package(s) data still to download: 150 k
3proxy-0.6.1-10.fc14.x86_64.rpm | 150 kB 00:01
exiting because --downloadonly specified
Note now that yum ends differently. Now the question is, where is the rpm file downloaded? The general answer is that it depends on yum configuration, which defaults to /var/cache/yum/<repositorio> in Fedora. In the example, the downloaded rpm file comes from Fedora x86_64 [updates], the directory name where it ended is /var/cache/yum/x86_64/13/updates/packages.
# ls /var/cache/yum/x86_64/13/updates/packages/
3proxy-0.6.1-9.fc13.x86_64.rpm
The rpm downloaded is there, and you can confirm that it was not installed with :
# rpm -q 3proxy
package 3proxy is not installed
Usage with package updates.
# yum --downloadonly upgrade yum-utils
...
Downloading Packages:
(1/1): yum-utils-1.1.6-1. 100% |=========================| 47 kB 00:02
exiting because --downloadonly specified
[root@dica ~]# ls /var/cache/yum/updates/packages/
yum-utils-1.1.6-1.fc7.noarch.rpm
