tar and rpm

Install a package
rpm –ivh packagename
upgrade a package
rpm –Uvh packagename

create a tar file
tar –cvf myfiles.tar mydir/
(add z if you are dealing with or creating .tgz (.tar.gz) files)

standard install from source
tar –xvzf Apackage.tar.gz
cd Apackage
./configure
make
make install