Red Hat has simplified the installation of software in Linux by creating the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). A package, or RPM file, will install a given application and create the necessary directories to run it. For example, you can either download the source code for Apache (a Web Server), uncompress, compile, and install it in your machine, or you can use the apache RPM file that comes with the distribution, or yet download the latest RPM version from the Red Hat ftp site, and just install the RPM file. It saves time and potential compiling errors.
You will install packages that came with the distribution in the CD-ROMs, or that you downloaded from an FTP site (I suggest you create a downloads directory to place new files there).
If you are installing from the CD-ROM:
In Red Hat 6.0 you may wish to use a graphical tool like the GnoRPM tool. You can use it in any desktop (KDE, GNOME, AnotherLevel,etc). Mount the CD-ROM,open a shell window and type gnorpm . For more details in using the tool please read the Red Hat chapter on GnoRPM.