On yum update, I get the following:

Dependencies Resolved

=============================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
=============================================================================
Installing:
xml-commons-jaxp-1.3-apis noarch 1.3.03-10jpp jpackage-generic 167 k
replacing xml-commons-apis.noarch 1.3.02-2jpp

Updating:
antlr noarch 2.7.7-1jpp jpackage-generic 511 k
bsh noarch 1.3.0-10jpp jpackage-generic 238 k
cups i386 1:1.2.11-1.fc6 updates 3.0 M
cups-libs i386 1:1.2.11-1.fc6 updates 186 k
gnome-bluetooth i386 0.7.0-12.fc6 updates 235 k
gnome-bluetooth-libs i386 0.7.0-12.fc6 updates 65 k
jpackage-utils noarch 1.7.3-2jpp jpackage-generic 60 k
net-snmp-libs i386 1:5.3.1-15.fc6 updates 1.1 M
tomcat5-jsp-2.0-api noarch 5.5.23-11jpp jpackage-generic 65 k
tomcat5-servlet-2.4-api noarch 5.5.23-11jpp jpackage-generic 111 k
xalan-j2 noarch 2.7.0-7jpp jpackage-generic 1.7 M
xerces-j2 noarch 2.9.0-1jpp jpackage-generic 1.1 M
xml-commons noarch 1.3.03-10jpp jpackage-generic 9.2 k
xterm i386 227-1.fc6 updates 337 k
Installing for dependencies:
xml-commons-resolver11 noarch 1.3.03-10jpp jpackage-generic 63 k

Transaction Summary
=============================================================================
Install 2 Package(s)
Update 14 Package(s)
Remove 0 Package(s)

Total download size: 8.9 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
(1/6): cups-1.2.11-1.fc6. 100% |=========================| 3.0 MB 02:10
(2/6): net-snmp-libs-5.3. 100% |=========================| 1.1 MB 00:48
(3/6): cups-libs-1.2.11-1 100% |=========================| 186 kB 00:07
(4/6): xterm-227-1.fc6.i3 100% |=========================| 337 kB 00:13
(5/6): gnome-bluetooth-0. 100% |=========================| 235 kB 00:09
(6/6): gnome-bluetooth-li 100% |=========================| 65 kB 00:02
Running Transaction Test
Finished Transaction Test


Transaction Check Error:
file /usr/bin/xml-resolver from install of xml-commons-resolver11-1.3.03-10jpp conflicts with file from package xml-commons-resolver-1.1-3jpp
file /usr/bin/xml-xparse from install of xml-commons-resolver11-1.3.03-10jpp conflicts with file from package xml-commons-resolver-1.1-3jpp
file /usr/bin/xml-xread from install of xml-commons-resolver11-1.3.03-10jpp conflicts with file from package xml-commons-resolver-1.1-3jpp
file /usr/share/java/xml-commons-resolver.jar from install of xml-commons-resolver11-1.3.03-10jpp conflicts with file from package xml-commons-resolver-1.1-3jpp

Error Summary
-------------

and the update fails. What does this mean, and how do I resolve it so that yum update continues to update installed packages?

Try uninstalling the xml-commons-resolver package, do the upgrade and then reinstall it afterwards.

Thanks, reddazz, that solution has worked. Commands:

# yum remove xml-commons-resolver
# yum update
# yum install xml-commons-resolver

completed without errors.

The story continues...

After apparently fixing my original problem by uninstalling and reinstalling xml-commons-resolver, I noted that my OpenOffice products had been wiped out! This was fixed by reinstalling OpenOffice.

yum update then showed an update for xerces-j2 was available, but its transaction check showed the same conflicts on xml-commons-resolver as per my original post. OpenOffice packages seem to be dependent upon the installed xml-commons-resolver package. I'm not deleting and reinstalling xml-commons-resolver again...

Is there some way of determining which packages depend upon xerces-j2, before deciding whether to delete it or keep it?

JonBL, this is what I did:

Read your soln post, did (as root)

# yum remove xml-commons-resolver
# yum update

discovered I could neither install or remove openoffice from cmd line

Next:
Applications-> Add/Remove Software
Select openoffice components and 1 or 2 others I wanted to add/remove
Apply
Let it go for a while... worked a treat
Enjoy
(I'm also FC6)

One thing I do, is use the official OOo packages instead of Fedoras because the official packages seem to have less dependencies than the Fedora packages. I then exclude all OOo packages from being updated by yum.

Thanks, guys! Chrism01, your response is basically what I did. It works, but perhaps I should have paid more attention when I originally uninstalled xml-commons-resolver.

Reddazz, if I persue your suggestion, I could delete my reinstalled OpenOffice 2.0.4 products, and replace them with a Linux RPM-based installation of OOo 2.2.1 from www.openoffice.org, as per OOo's install guide. If I do this:
1. Are menu options to start OOo 2.2.1 still available on myFC6 box?
2. How do I turn off yum updates of all OOo packages?
3. How do I get updates for OOo 2.2.1 as they become available?

Yes the menu options are available, just make sure you install the openoffice.org-redhat-menus package located in the desktop-integration subdirectory. You prevent yum from upgrading openoffice by editing /etc/yum.conf and adding something like
As for updates, I usually just completely uninstall the old version and reinstall the latest release from scratch. OOo 2.2.x has an updating tool, but I have never tried it.

Thanks, reddazz, you've been a great help!

Almost have this working...

Reddazz, I've uninstalled OOo 2.0.4 and installed OOo 2.2.1 - all went OK. Now to cancel yum upgrades of identified packages, /etc/yum.conf has been edited as follows (exclude= option added):

[main]
cachedir=/var/cache/yum
keepcache=0
debuglevel=2
logfile=/var/log/yum.log
pkgpolicy=newest
distroverpkg=redhat-release
tolerant=1
exactarch=1
obsoletes=1
gpgcheck=1
plugins=1
metadata_expire=1800
exclude=openoffice* xerces*


# PUT YOUR REPOS HERE OR IN separate files named file.repo
# in /etc/yum.repos.d

Then, yum update shows no updates for oppenoffice products, but does for xerces-j2. Have I got the correct syntax?

You can have many exclude lines as you wish, so you can do

...

With your proposed syntax, I see with yum update:

Resolving Dependencies
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package nscd.i386 0:2.5-18.fc6 set to be updated
---> Package xerces-j2.noarch 0:2.9.0-2jpp set to be updated
---> Package openoffice.org-calc.i386 1:2.0.4-5.5.23 set to be updated
....

It looks like xerces-j2 and openoffice 2.0.4 are going to be updated. With my earlier syntax, openoffice packages were not identified as set to be updated - only xerces-j2.

Still getting that prob with each new update batch.
Odd, because this is a stock install, haven't messed with repos etc.
Anyone know if there's perm fix?
This continuous manual remove/update/ add sequence is getting annoying.

I've done a small review and your syntax was correct, so I do not know why xerces-j2 wants to be updated. Have you tried uninstalling it because I am pretty sure its a package that you probably do not need.

I've finally got the exclude statement for /etc/yum.conf to work. If you specify:
exclude=evolution*
yum update does not complain about a syntax error, and reports "Excluding Packages in global exclude list" but will still include an update for evolution if available.

Specify:
exclude = evolution*
(note white spaces), and yum update no longer includes evolution in the update list!

Crappy parser for yum.conf?...