How to update from rpm 4.4 to rpm 5.0

[Kevin J. Cummings]

JD wrote:
> Dear list,
> My current system has
> 
> rpm-4.4.2.2-2
> rpm-libs-4.4.2.2-2
> rpm-python-4.4.2.2-2
> 
> I want to update to
> 
> rpm-perl-5.0-0.2.0
> rpm-libs-5.0-0.2.0
> rpm-build-5.0-0.2.0
> rpm-5.0-0.2.0
> rpm-python-5.0-0.2.0
> The 5.0 builds are made for my version of fedora.
> 
> How can I update to the new 5.0 stuff safely, so that
> I am not left without an rpm tool.
> The dependencies are so many, I am not sure how I can
> update and not break the dependents.
> 

1)  I'm not sure where this RPM 5.0 comes from.  I've just been to 
www.rpm.org, and the only versions available there are:  4.4.2, 4.5.90, 
and 4.6.0 rc versions.  Since 4.6.0 rc3 is available in rawhide and FC10
where does version 5.0 come from?

2)  Where did you get the builds for you version of fedora.  What *is* 
your version of fedora?

3)  What are the dependencies?  If it was built for *your* version of 
fedora, there should be no dependency issues that are not resolvable 
through proper invocation of your favorite package manager (rpm, yum, 
packegkit, etc).  Sounds more like the version you have (where it did 
come from) is *not* for you version of fedora.  If that is the case, and 
you don't know how to handle the dependencies, I'd strongly recommend 
that you refrain from upgrading to it.

4)  If you *do* attempt the upgrade and its breaks rpm for you, you'll 
have to rely on your rescue media to properly rescue your system and 
re-install a working rpm on it.

Personally, I enjoy breaking my system now and again (not that I do it 
on purpose), as I learn so much from fixing it (usually by hand, but in 
the extreme case by a premature update to rawhide, and by premature, I 
mean before I might have chosen to upgrade to rawhide on my own, which 
is almost never B^)  But I did rescue a broken FC3 system from a failed 
FC4 upgrade by upgrading to FC5 about 1 month before its release.

-- 
Kevin J. Cummings
kjchome at rcn.com
cummings at kjchome.homeip.net
cummings at kjc386.framingham.ma.us
Registered Linux User #1232 (http://counter.li.org)