Hi!

This system is CentOS 4.4. I would like to run the following command but I have never run yum before and am lacking confidence, and am new enough to linux that I would not know how to undo it if it all went wrong.

I want to run (because of a small problem with netstat)
yum update net-tools

Running "yum list net-tools" shows there's a slightly higher version available
Installed Packages
net-tools.x86_64 1.60-37.EL4.8 installed
Available Packages
net-tools.x86_64 1.60-39.el4 base

Running "yum deplist net-tools-1.60-39.el4.x86_64" shows I need to update the following packages to these versions
glibc.x86_64 2.3.4-2.43
chkconfig.x86_64 1.3.13.5.EL4-1
bash.x86_64 3.0-21.el4

and "yum deplist glibc-2.3.4-2.43.x86_64" shows I need to update to
libgcc.i386 3.4.6-11

Question 1: Is it safe to go ahead and run "yum update net-tools"? I feel worried about the fact that serious things like glibc and bash and libgcc will also get updated. Will all the existing packages be happy about glibc changing? Or will I then have to update hundreds of other things?

I have put off doing this for weeks! Apologies for my cowardliness!
Thanks!

You can see what all packages are available for update by doing a 'yum check-update', if you want to upgrade everything you can then do a 'yum update'.

For the *MOST PART* redhat and centos are ~very~ good about maintaining compatibility inside a given major release (4.x, 5.x). So even a full update would likely be fine. Yum should detect any dependencies that are needed and update them as well it's a pretty reliable tool.

As always with any change to the system... backup, backup, backup! If you have backups that you have verified are good then go ahead and do an update, it shouldn't cause you any major issues. If you don't have backups, do that first then do the upgrade.

I could not agree with you more about "backup, backup, backup" however the project lead on this site does not believe in backups nor even build documents. This particular system has been in production for 3 years with no system backup (the user data areas are backed up but only at my absolute insistence) nor even a build document. I cannot tell you how much I don't like that! If the root disk were to go on any of these systems there is not even an accurate record of what OS was installed on the system, let alone how it was configured. So only he can rebuild it.

So you might see how scary it might be to run even a simple "yum update net-tools". I'm not new at all to sys admin, but I am newish to linux (which I love, my favourite ever OS) and new to yum (they've only just let me get through the company Firewalls with yum).

Many thanks for you reply. I understand and agree with your answer.

At least tar up a copy of etc and get it off system, that should give you enough info in the event something goes pear shaped.