I'm running a recent install of Fedore Core 2 Test 1 (Would have done Core 1, but doesn't support all my hardware). Whenever I try to use up2date, many programs get the following error at the "Testing package set / Solving RPM inter-dependencies" screen:
{
There was a package dependency problem. The message was:

Unresolvable chain of dependencies:
XFree86-4.3.0-45.0.1 requires XFree86-libs = 4.3.0-45.0.1
XFree86-twm-4.3.0-45.0.1 requires XFree86-libs = 4.3.0-45.0.1
XFree86-xfs-4.3.0-45.0.1 requires XFree86-libs = 4.3.0-45.0.1

Please modify your package selections and try again.
}

I've got the versions of all these RPMs listed installed, and have tried reinstalling the RPMs forcefully. Anyone have any idea why this is happening? Seems to happen on all servers too.

I was able to install all updates with up2date except:
gdm-2.5.90.2-3.i386.rpm
chkfontpath-1.10.0-1.i386.rpm
kdebase-3.2.1-1.4.i386.rpm
kdegames-3.2.1-1.i386.rpm
These 4 items gave me the indications you listed, complained about
XFree860libs-4.3.0-45.0.1 missing. However, if you get into a terminal window and enter:
your entry: rpm -q XFree86-libs-
Computer response: XFree86-libs-4.3.0-45.0.1
this says that the XFree Lib is installed.

So, this means that whoever built the .rpm file did so incorrectly, or else the .rpm header file that up2date downloads is incorrect.

Of the four items, gdm-2.5.90.2-3 has the most consequences. gdm is the Gnome Display Manager. If you do all updates except the 4 mentioned above, Fedora Core 2 will not boot properly when using GNOME as your Desktop environment. At least it didn't on my computer. To fix this, you have to compile your own .rpm from a .src.rpm file.

Go to ftp://yourfavoritemirror/pub/fedora/linux/core/development/SRPMS/
and download the following:
gdm-2.5.90.2-3.src.rpm
with the packages I have installed, I also had to download and install
libcroco-devel-0.4.0-2.1.i386.rpm
libselinux-devel-1.6-3.i386.rpm
to satisfy dependencies.
With Libcroco-devel and libselinux-devel installed, as root use
rpmbuild --rebuild gdm-2.5.90.2-3.src.rpm
if it builds successfully, boot into runlevel 3 so that Xsystem isn't running and
cd to /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i386
Make sure you are root, then
do a ls or ll and you should see the two .rpm files that rpmbuild compiled
gdm.2.5.90.2-3.i386.rpm
gdm-debuginfo-2.5.90.2-3.i386.rpm
enter rpm -q gdm-
to find what version of gdm is installed, then
rpm -e gdm-whateverversion
to erase or remove the current gdm.
and use rpm to install the two .rpms you compiled.
Reboot into runlevel 5 and Fedora Core 2 now boots correctly.

I tried a similar approach to the other 3 items, but ran into dependecy H#||. But they don't seem to bother anything so I left it at that. Hope that Helps.

Pudge

Yeah, I'm having the same problem with FC-2 test1. Very annoying cuzz there's like ~350 updates and it's not obvious which ones are causing it.

And Pudge, I tried what you recommended, omitting those packages, it still gives the same error.

You have slightly misunderstood what is happening. The header.info that is being downloaded is specifying that the xorg-x11 packages should be installed since then obselete XFree86 packages. The new packages are not created incorrectly, it is actually the old ones (which you have installed already) that caused these issues by having improper dependencies.

To correct this you need to upgrade to the xorg-x11 packages. This can be done with some clever manipulations of yum --exclude=package options, or you can download all the xorg-x11 packages from the mirror and install them. This has been discussed at length on the test mailing lists, so if you need further info (or I make no sense at all) search them here:
http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-test-list

Mike Harris is the maintainer for X at Red Hat, so his posts are of course the 'authoritative' source.

The update method I required when doing this was:
# first to update everything that did not require xorg changes...
yum --exclude=chkfontpath --exclude=anaconda --exclude=gdm \
--exclude=kdebase --exclude=xorg* update

# then update xorg which removes and replaces all of XFree86
yum install xorg*

If you have individual package problems with any of these commands you can add them to --exclude= options, or remove the package from your system temporarily.

I wasn't able to use the --exclude foo* from the command line, so I added
to /etc/yum.conf, but it looks like I misunderstood what you said. Where are the --exclude= options that you mentioned?

Thanks,

Dave

To have yum accept the --exclude option, upgrade yum first (i.e. just check its box in up2date and only upgrade this program, there won't be any conflict with X). Then you'll be able to enter the yum command quoted above.
I'm doing it right now, and though it's not finished yet, it seems to work so far.

Good luck :-)

I blew my Fedora install away and installed Gentoo. I'm just sick of dealing with all the bloat of Redhat-based distros and up2date anyway. Thanks for the replies.

Is Gentoo a testing version like FC2-T1 or a final version like FC1?

Only in so far as they tend to use really recent versions of most software in their package management system. There's also a couple of development branches of the patch that they've packaged for the OS. Check out their forums: http://forums.gentoo.org and http://www.gentoo.org . It's my favorite desktop OS right now....takes some doing to install, but once it's installed it's really nice to work with.

Thanks

Thanqs for the solution!

I got stuck at just the point you mentioned, and the lines just worked out fine, though I had to do include the kde thing before I could go on. (rinning Gnome, but installed KDE for curiosity)

The lines (that worked for me) were:
yum --exclude=chkfontpath --exclude=anaconda --exclude=gdm --exclude=xorg* update

yum install xorg*

(I had updated yum before)

About Gentoo, dont have anything against Gentoo, but you shouldnt rate FC on a prerelease!?