HELP - trying to use YUM with Fedora3

[clemens at dwf.com]

Im trying to use YUM with Fedora3, (I previously used apt-get), and I must be 
doing
something stupid, but I cant see it.

in /home/ftp/yum/fedora3/RPMS.os I have the RPMS from the 4 binary CDs
Press <RETURN> to continue...  
in /home/ftp/yum/fedora3/RPMS.updates I have all the updates to date.

I have run yum-arch on each of them, viz

        yum-arch /home/ftp/yum/fedora3/RPMS.os
        yum-arch /home/ftp/yum/fedora3/RPMS.updates

my /etc/yum.conf file reads

[root at orion etc]# more /etc/yum.conf
[main]
cachedir=/var/cache/yum
# debuglevel=2
debuglevel=10
logfile=/var/log/yum.log
pkgpolicy=newest
# distroverpkg=redhat-release
tolerant=1
exactarch=1
retries=20
obsoletes=1
# gpgcheck=1
gpgcheck=0

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

[base]
name=Fedora3 Core base
baseurl=ftp://orion/yum/fedora3/RPMS.os
gpgcheck=0

[updates]
name=Fedora3 Core updates
baseurl=ftp://orion/yum/fedora3/RPMS.updates
gpgcheck=0

---

When I TRY to run 'yum update' to bring this initial install up
to date, I get the message:

[root at orion ~]# yum update
Repository base already added, not adding again
Yum Version: 2.1.11
COMMAND: yum update
Installroot: /

You have enabled checking of packages via GPG keys. This is a good thing.
Press <RETURN> to continue... 
However, you do not have any GPG public keys installed. You need to download
the keys for packages you wish to install and install them.
You can do that by running the command:
    rpm --import public.gpg.key
For more information contact your distribution or package provider.

---

Now I have several problems:
(1) why is it saying 'You have enabled checking of packages via GPG keys'
when I turned that off in [main] and in each section???

(2) The command 'rpm --import public.gpg.key' does NOT work, I get:

root at orion ~]# rpm --import public.gpg.key
error: public.gpg.key: import read failed.

(3) What is this message
    'Repository base already added, not adding again'

---

any and all help appreciated,- If I cant get this thing to work, or at
least get some sensable error messages out of it, Im going to have to
go back to apt-get (sigh).


                                        Reg.Clemens
                                        reg at dwf.com