I've now posted this question onto the 'Fedora' forum instead of 'Red Hat', as it probably belongs better there than here (since it involves yum and the Fedora Legacy repositories).

deeBs

----------------------------------------------------
Hi there,

I have installed Red Hat Linux 7.3 on an old 166MHz Toshiba 460CDT
laptop with only 32MB RAM (I tried Fedora Core 1, but the install wouldn't
even start!). I am now trying to update the software using yum, and the
Fedoralegacy repositories (or mirrors). Straight away, I am running into a
problem with yum update. If I try to run yum update, I get a message telling me that 'package iptables
needs kernel that has been excluded', as follows:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# yum update
Gathering package information from servers
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 base
Getting headers from: Fedora Legacy utilities for Red Hat Linux 7.3
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Resolving dependencies
.package iptables needs kernel that has been excluded
package iptables needs kernel that has been excluded

I don't know what this means. I can only guess that it is telling me that the
version of iptables which it is trying to install from the yum update server is
not compatible with the version of the kernel which I am using. However, if I
try to update just my kernel, I am told that I am running the latest and greatest:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# yum update kernel
Gathering package information from servers
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 base
Getting headers from: Fedora Legacy utilities for Red Hat Linux 7.3
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
kernel is installed and the latest version.

and indeed, this is the version of the kernel which I am running, namely 2.4.18-3:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# cat /proc/version
Linux version 2.4.18-3 (bhcompile@stripples.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version 2.96
20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.96-110)) #1 Thu Apr 18 07:31:07 EDT 2002

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# rpm -qi kernel
Name : kernel Relocations: (not relocateable)
Version : 2.4.18 Vendor: Red Hat, Inc.
Release : 3 Build Date: Thu 18 Apr 2002 11:46:22 UTC
Install date: Sun 14 Sep 2003 17:43:32 UTC Build Host: stripples.devel.redhat.com
Group : System Environment/Kernel Source RPM: kernel-2.4.18-3.src.rpm
Size : 29228505 License: GPL
Packager : Red Hat, Inc. <URL removed>
Summary : The Linux kernel (the core of the Linux operating system).
Description :
The kernel package contains the Linux kernel (vmlinuz), the core of
the Red Hat Linux operating system. The kernel handles the basic
functions of the operating system: memory allocation, process
allocation, device input and output, etc.

However, I don't seem to be able to exclude iptables from my update. I tried
the following:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# yum update --exclude iptables
Gathering package information from servers
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 base
Getting headers from: Fedora Legacy utilities for Red Hat Linux 7.3
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Cannot find any package matching --exclude available to be updated.

or using a wildcard:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# yum update --exclude iptables*
Gathering package information from servers
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 base
Getting headers from: Fedora Legacy utilities for Red Hat Linux 7.3
Getting headers from: Red Hat Linux 7.3 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Cannot find any package matching --exclude available to be updated.

So why won't it let me exclude iptables?

The version of iptables which I currently have installed is 1.2.5:

[root@wtlpc-14 etc]# rpm -qi iptables
Name : iptables Relocations: /usr
Version : 1.2.5 Vendor: Red Hat, Inc.
Release : 3 Build Date: Mon 04 Mar 2002 11:37:44 UTC
Install date: Sun 14 Sep 2003 17:42:54 UTC Build Host: daffy.perf.redhat.com
Group : System Environment/Base Source RPM: iptables-1.2.5-3.src.rpm
Size : 389714 License: GPL
Packager : Red Hat, Inc. <URL removed>
URL : (URL removed)
Summary : Tools for managing Linux kernel packet filtering capabilities.
Description :
The iptables utility controls the network packet filtering code in the
Linux kernel. If you need to set up firewalls and/or IP masquerading,
you should install this package.

My source for updates in yum.conf is the nearest Fedora Legacy repository mirror, in France:

host: mirrors.ircam.fr

file path: /pub/fedoralegacy/legacy/redhat/7.3/updates/i386/

which contains the following version of iptables (i.e. more up-to-date than
the version I have currently installed):

iptables-1.2.8-8.72.3.i386.rpm

Why won't yum let me update iptables? Is this likely to be:

a) a yum problem?
b) an iptables problem?
c) a kernel problem?
d) none of the above

Any helpful suggestions which any Linux gurus out there could offer would be
much appreciated.

Cheers,

deeBs

Look in /etc/yum.conf. You exclude the kernel package, but iptables depends on it.

Nah, this is the oldest.

Last errata kernel from Red Hat was 2.4.20-27.7:
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2003-394.html

A more recent one from Fedora Legacy was 2.4.20-30.7.legacy:
http://www.fedoralegacy.org/updates/...abilities.html

Watch this closely! Based on the Build Date alone, you could conclude that this cannot be the latest kernel, because it's been built two and a half years ago.

Syntax error. Options before commands: yum --exclude=iptables update

Hi misc,

Thanks very much for your tips! You were right, I had a line 'exclude=kernel*' in my yum.conf. I have now commented this out.

I guess the problem is that there is a lack of 'idiot-level' documentation for yum, and I never was able properly to understand man pages! I have noticed now, however, that there is a yum howto on the web, in the process of being written. So that will help in the future.

Now I get further along the update process. It now fails for a different reason. I now get the message:

GPG Signature check failed for /var/cache/yum/updates/packages/kxmlrpcd.....etc....rpm

However, this time I think I have a better idea what the problem could be. I'm a little surprised, because I followed the instructions on the Fedora Legacy website about adding the necessary keys to my GPG keyring. However, I'll go back now and double-check.

Thanks again!

deeBs

With RPM v4 you don't add the keys to your GPG keyring, but rpm --import them into the database. rpm --query gpg-pubkey should list it afterwards. Be sure to fetch the official key and not one from an arbitrary keyserver, since RPM's OpenPGP support is incomplete and fails importing signed keys and keys with other bells'n'whistles.

Btw, to exclude the kernel is default behaviour with up2date, too, and yum's behaviour matches that.

Hi misc,

Thanks for the info about keys and RPM v4. Actually, although I thought I had imported the keys into root's gpg keyring, when I asked gpg to list them, they seemed to be absent. So I tried importing them again, and they then showed up in the list O.K.. I then ran 'yum update' again, and it all worked fine! So I've now updated a boatload of packages, including the kernel, to their latest versions.

So thanks again for your help.

Cheers,

deeBs

D'oh! I'm lame. You're running Red Hat Linux 7.3, which comes with RPM 4.0.4, which does not import the keys into its own database. Of course you're right when you import them into gnupg's keyring. That's correct with RPM 4.0.4. It's different with RPM >= 4.1.

Ah O.K. - well that's something for me to look out for when using more recent versions of RPM (e.g. I have Mandrake 9.2 on my home PC). But yes, RPM 4.0.4 sounds about right for this RHL7.3 machine, and yes, it was able to work from the keys on root's gpg keyring. So the instructions re. importing keys on the Fedora Legacy website were correct.

Thanks again,

deeBs

Maybe you can help me i am so new to this and when i try to run yum updates i get this message:


.....Unable to satisfy dependencies
Package iptables needs kernel >= 2.4.20, this is not available.

I seen where post about new kernel I did download it but dont know how to install it rpm file is called kernel-2.4.20-31.9.src.rpm. I been at this for 2 days now trying to get things update so can install mysql new verson 4.1 but after i did find way to edit yum.conf with vi editor and ran the updates now got this to deal with... Please help me on this? I am so lost.

Just ran version check on os and it is:

Linux version 2.4.20-021stab028.3.777-enterprise (st@current.eng.sw.ru) (gcc version 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.96-110)) #1 SMP Wed Feb 2 21:08:59 MSK 2005

This means that in your RPM database of installed packages there is nothing which provides a "kernel >= 2.4.20" capability. With Red Hat Linux you should run
rpm --query --whatprovides kernel to list the installed packages which suffice. You should see at least one kernel package being listed. If you don't, repair your system.

You cannot install a src.rpm package. It is a source RPM package, which is just an archive, which can be extracted with "rpm" or passed to rpmbuild for compiling the binary packages from it.

It said this when i type that:

dummy9-1.0-9.swsoft

what i been doing is using yum check-update then each one that is list i type yum install list name from what it shows me. so far it all updates but that one thing.

iptables <=== only one so far cant get in.

What's this? A replacement dummy package for a machine with a custom-made kernel? Query the package:

rpm --query --provides dummy9

What do you get? A sufficient kernel version? You should see something like "kernel = 2.4.20-somenumberhere". If you don't, the package is too old.

all it did was return dummy9-1.0-9.swsoft.. I call them up and told them reset server like it was when i first got it so going to have redo all work cause something mess up control panel and could not access it anymore.

All I wanted to do was get mysql install most new version so can start on making web site i need for things. Maybe i can get help from the start of what i need to do with out messing anything else up cost me $50 to have them reset server like it was when first got it and they said takes 24 hours so 2 days i wasted on it all

that did return more info:

kernel = 2.4.0
e2fsprogs
libdb-3.2.so
modutils = 2.3.11-5
mingetty
dummy9 = 1.0-9.swsoft