How do I see all the changes to my Linux OS after I install an application?

Basically I want to install Linux, then record all file system attributes. Afterwards, I want to install an application and do a difference-compare. What is the best technique to do this?
Answer:

See title.

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This is a very open-ended question, as there's no standard way of checking what has changed with the installation of software. In Debian-based environments you can see a list of installed files using "dpkg -L <PACKAGE>" In environments that use RPM you can try "rpm -ql <PACKAGE>" For automated detection of changes to crucial files in your file system you can use a package like AIDE or Tiger, which track changes to the MD5sum of such files as /etc/shadow and /etc/passwd.

Josh Begleiter

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