tlug: RH4.2 "Errata" RPMs

["Paul Z. Cipywnyk" <paulcipy@example.com>]

The TLUG meeting Saturday gave me the impetus to start newbie-ingly poking
at my 486 running RH 4.2 again. (Due to work pressures, I'd suspended my
Linux self-education from mid-July...) Today I took Jim's advice to patch
some likely security holes/bugs in my system and hit the RH Web site to
look at the "errata" upgrades.

Not really understanding what I might *really* need, I downloaded all of
the "errata" RPMs (except for the newer kernel, which RH said to avoid
unless one had major probs, or something to that effect). The shotgun
approach <G>. I did this through my (sorry!) Win95 machine, as I haven't
quite got my Linux box on the 'Net yet.... Gomen....

Then I realized I had no idea of how to install RPM upgrades. What
directory to put them in? Where to run them from? Run them as root? The RH
manual came to my rescue. It didn't answer these questions for me as to how
to do it from the command line, but the directions for using the Package
Management tool (Glint?) under X Windows were clear.

Made a new directory for the RPMs I'd downloaded under my /home/paul
directory, and Samba-ed them over to the Linux box.

Did an su -l and fired up X Windows. Told the Package Management tool where
to look for the RPMs, and WOW, it worked! (Remember, you're dealing with a
newbie's delight at trying anything new <G>).

All the RPMs were there, and I simply kept clicking on them and then
clicking the "Upgrade" button. Worked like a charm... all except for the
"db-1.85-11.i386.rpm" file.

For some reason this one wouldn't do anything. Under the Package Management
tool, if I highlight it, and click <QUERY> and then <VERIFY>, then under
the "Problem" column, I see "checksum, size, time". I downloaded it again
from Red Hat, with the same results. Is this a Red Hat problem with the
original file?

I'm very happy with my first attempt at using RPM, and I don't know how
important "db-1.85-11.i386.rpm" is, but, well, out of 21 "errata" RPMs I
installed, it's the only one that won't work, eh? <G>

Any suggestions?


**************************************************
  Paul Cipywnyk (paulcipy@example.com) Tokyo, Japan
      http://www2.gol.com/users/paulcipy/
          Writing*Rewriting*Editing
**************************************************
Next TLUG meeting is Saturday Dec. 13, 1997  (possibly Nov. 13?)
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