I am new to Linux and am working on a Dell system with RedHat 9.0 that was installed by Dell. Neither Dell nor RedHat seems to have a working support system. I've at least been getting responses from you guys. So, here's my problem:

I keep getting dependency failures when trying to install new programs, or when running up2date.
Packages I can't install are:

gettext-0.14.1-2.1rh9.i386.rpm
glut-3.7-12.i386.rpm
wine-20050111-1rh9winehq.i686.rpm
kde2-compat-2.2.2-9.i386.rpm
winetools-2.1.1-jo.i386.rpm
xdialog-2.1.2-1.0.rh9.rf.i386.rpm
XFree86-Mesa-libGLU-4.3.0-2.90.55.i386.rpm
VMware-workstation-4.5.2-8848.i386.rpm

With help from linuxquestions I have find some of the dependent packages on the internet (some of the packages listed above are those packages), but when I try to install them I get further dependency failures.

With up2date I encounter problems, such as (as an example when trying to update rpm)
rpm-libs 4.2.3-13 requires libelf.so.1
rpm-libs 4.2.3-13 requires libelf.so.1(ELFUTILS_1.0)

There are many more. It would seem that if I can't get the most current version of rpm, then I'm really missing something.

All this seems to be too much, and I suspect something was missing on the operating system installation. Am I right? How do I fix it?

nope. welcome to red hat's rpm package system... commonly reffered to as "dependency hell". i don't like and don't use it myselft. You have to hunt down all the dependencies first and install them first. One package its telling you it needs is ELFUTILS. You have to go get that and install it first.

Ok, I found elfutils, and the following occurs:

#rpm -ivh elfutils-0.76-3.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
elfutils-libelf = 0.76-3 is needed by elfutils-0.76-3
libelf.so.1 is needed by elfutils-0.76-3
libelf.so.1(ELFUTILS_1.0) is needed by elfutils-0.76-3

So I lookf for libelf.so.1. Here's what happens:

# rpm -ivh elfutils-libelf-0.76-3.i386.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
package elfutils-libelf-0.94-1 (which is newer than elfutils-libelf-0.76-3) is already installed

So, I try to install elfutils again:

[root@localhost disk2]# rpm -ivh elfutils-0.76-3.i386.rpm
error: Failed dependencies:
elfutils-libelf = 0.76-3 is needed by elfutils-0.76-3
libelf.so.1 is needed by elfutils-0.76-3
libelf.so.1(ELFUTILS_1.0) is needed by elfutils-0.76-3


So it appears that I can't install elfutils because a new version exists, but it doesn't so I can't install it.

Is there another way? And don't tell me not to use RedHat, because I'm stuck with it.

i believe you need a more current elf-libs at least 1.0 or greater. red hat 9 is very old. they are now called fedora core. you are going to run into a lot of problems trying to build from source becuase you don't have recent libs in red hat 9. Might try upgrading to Fedora Core 3, which is the new Red Hat. Red hat gave up support for there free linux desktop and while ago, and then fedora picked it up and continued on.

As far as I know, RedHat comes with YUM, does it not?
Try this:yum is a program to auto-resolve dependencies for you. If it (Redhat) doesn't come with yum installed, I would reccomend updating.

Use Yum, much much beter. Do a search on forum or go to turoials. I think there is one there. Forget up2date.

i am brand freaking new to linux and i am using fedora core 3, its a bit wierd using the command line but overall i like and if any one can help me with my ati drivers problem check that out, but hells yea linux is so much more efficent the windows just take the time to learn it im a noobasaurousrex and i already love it

If you want a real package manager (RPM will make you hate Linux forever) then install Gentoo.

Forgive my ignorance, but I have trouble understanding that one can be "stuck with" a software program -- especally when refering to Linux. Could you please elaborate ?

HAHA thats a funny title for the post.. good luck buddy

also try the apt-get port for fedora

http://freshrpms.net/apt/

i believe.

it makes life much easier.

RodimusProblem?

I too consider myself "stuck" at least for now with a version as I bought a stonkling expensive book which came with the distro on a DVD. So.. having invested £'s in the beast I need to try at least to get some value back. Plus I aint a clue as to how to install anything else. So, there you go, that's how one can be stuck.

That would be a way to be stuck with a distro, or any program. Few pay for Linux or Linux software, so I hadn't thought of that as being a possible reason for getting stuck with it.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Stuck means that I work for a corporation where the IT people make almost all of the computer decisions. I had to fight for the opportunity to try Linux and was given RedHat (their disks), because that was the only version the IT people would accept. Major changes, up to and including a new version of RedHat, are not acceptable to the IT people.

My only options are to use the version I have, or face a whole lot of "I told you so's" and return to the world of windows. So I am "stuck" with this version, If I want have a Linux system.

Yeah I'm not sure if RH uses yum or not (I use Fedora and it does)...so try yum update and see how that goes. Yum is command line and is much quicker than up2date.