Looking at the packages:
policycoreutils-1.33.12.14.el5.1386 looks to need rpm-5.0 to unpack.
You have conflicting information - rpm -Uvh rpm* says you need this for rpm-5.0 package, but rpm -Uvvh says that rpm-5.0 dependencies are satisfied.
I'd like to see the command and the output that shows policycoreutils as a missing dependency.
Some reading around the issue shows:
http://www.mail-archive.com/rpm-user.../msg00170.html
try removing the __db* files from your rpm db directory, then run rpm --rebuild
http://rpm5.org/community/rpm-devel/0759.html
rpm 4.4 binary lives in /bin, but rpm4.5 binary lives is /usr/bin ...
check if rpm 5.0 is in /usr/bin - if so then try /usr/bin/rpm -Uvh policycoreutils*
Some related thoughts:
How many rhel machines are there?
Reason: if there are more than, say, two, it is probably worthwhile to mirror the yum repositories locally, using a windows machine to get the files. You could mirror exactly the files needed on a CD or transfer an entire database to a linux box. It may even be possible to run a caching mirror on a windows box under cygwin.
http://linux.wxs.ro/2009/08/07/how-t...or-iso-images/
You may even be able to convince the company to allow one RHEL machine limited internet access on the grounds that it is like WGA - you will only access RHN servers on a VPN to download digitally signed packages from the authorised distributor. This will be done infrequently and no access granted either way when not accessing RHN servers. While accessing, no incoming connections can be initiated. Point out how much the company is paying you for this compared with what they are paying with yum access. RHN provide this service out of the box.
The company already allows authorised packages to be installed to the machines, so it is within existing security policies.
Which leads to the other thing:
Does the company have a RH support contract?
If not, then then where are you getting these rpms from?
In which case it would be cheaper and safer for the company to run CentOS on these machines. This is exactly RHEL but with free/gratis support rather than paid support. Which is a step up because right now they have no support, free or otherwise.
Your only concern would be that the company may decide it is too hard to run any linux boxes at all.
If they do though, you are at the point you need to contact support. They will be able to help with this very directly, including using a CD as a yum repo.
Basically, yum is the answer to your problems ... this is the sort of problem that yum was
designed to solve. It is also why it is so hard to find other solutions.
Another approach is to work around the network restrictions - I'm guessing some sort of firewall on the gateway which blocks the rhel machines? You'd need to spoof one of the other network machines, or use a windows machine to act as a bridge, you send packages to that machine, it sends them to the gateway, gateway thinks the packages come from an authorised machine. Of course, this could get you fired.
having a program called rpm which handles files called .rpm which are called RPMs,
is confusing. The program is Redhat Package Manager. Technically the files should be Redhat Packages - giving .rpg suffix for 8.3 format naming. RPG files sound rather more interesting than they are... the inevitable "help with rpg" questions that would result seem to invite the wrong kind of response