Latest update on the Fedora upgrade saga:

Error: missing dep: libebook.so.8 for pkg openoffice.org Error: missing dep: libedataserver.so.3 for pkg openoffice.org Error: missing dep: libdb_cxx-4.2.so for pkg openoffice.org-libs Error: missing dep: /lib/security/pam_loginuid.so for pkg openssh-server Error: missing dep: gcc for pkg gcc-g77

Why is yum telling me this? Why doesn't it just go out get the packages and fix it?

[Update about 11:15 AM EDT]

OK, I checked, and it seems to think that gcc is installed for Core 3:

[root@linux-station ~]# rpm -q gcc
gcc-3.4.2-6.fc3
gcc-3.4.3-22.fc
[root@linux-station ~]#

So I tried an update:

[root@linux-station ~]# rpm -Uvh gcc
error: open of gcc failed: No such file or directory
[root@linux-station ~]#

Then I tried it with yum:

[root@linux-station ~]# yum upgrade gcc
Setting up Upgrade Process
Setting up Repo: updates-released
repomd.xml 100% |=========================| 951 B 00:00
Setting up Repo: extras
repomd.xml 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
Setting up Repo: base
repomd.xml 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
Reading repository metadata in from local files
updates-re: ################################################## 1123/1123
primary.xml.gz 100% |=========================| 1.3 MB 00:08
MD Read : ################################################## 3925/3925
extras : ################################################## 3925/3925
base : ################################################## 2771/2771
Resolving Dependencies
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package gcc.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
--> Running transaction check
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.2-6.fc3 for package: gcc-java
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.3-22.fc3 for package: gcc-c++
--> Processing Dependency: cpp= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.3-22.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.3 for package: libtool
--> Processing Dependency: libgcc>= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.2-6.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.2-6.fc3 for package: gcc-c++
--> Processing Dependency: binutils>= 2.15.94.0.2-2 for package: gcc
--> Restarting Dependency Resolution with new changes.
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package gcc-java.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package gcc-c++.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package cpp.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package libtool.i386 0:1.5.16.multilib2-3 set to be updated
---> Package libgcc.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package binutils.i386 0:2.15.94.0.2.2-2.1 set to be updated
--> Running transaction check
--> Processing Dependency: libstdc++= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc-c++
--> Processing Dependency: libgcj= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc-java
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.3-22.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Processing Dependency: libstdc++-devel= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc-c++
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.2-6.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Processing Dependency: libgcj-devel= 4.0.2-8.fc4 for package: gcc-java
--> Restarting Dependency Resolution with new changes.
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package libstdc++.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package libgcj.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package libstdc++-devel.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
---> Package libgcj-devel.i386 0:4.0.2-8.fc4 set to be updated
--> Running transaction check
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.2-6.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Processing Dependency: gcc= 3.4.3-22.fc3 for package: gcc-g77
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
Error: missing dep: gcc for pkg gcc-g77
[root@linux-station ~]#

In other words, it says it needs to have gcc installed to update gcc?

Dang.

If it's not finding gcc you're going to have all sorts of problems.

At this point I'd seriously consider breaking down and doing a full-install. Back up your data files, grab the latest version of YD, burn a CD and do an install. The install should leave your data files intact, but the backup is valuable insurance.

I hate to say it but this kind of thing is what actually drove me from Linux to OS X - it's unix but without these kinds of package management hassles. Of course, the downside is that Open Office is still X11 based which means it doesn't work well with OS X's font files.

There is an open office version for OSX, $49 bucks at Fry's.

Dennis

However, Rand is still under the illusion that a Mac is a lot more expensive than a comparable PC so don't look for him to do more than continue to moan about Linux problems.

:)

Dennis, purchasing a Mac is a lot more expensive than using a machine I already have.

Ok, first, the rpm -Uvh didn't work because rpm is a lower-level tool; it expects to be given the path/URL to an actual package file (.rpm), not the name of a package.

You then asked yum to update gcc to the latest version; it seems to have aborted because the package G77 (a fortan compiler, I believe) requires specificially gcc 3.4.3, and you had just asked it to update gcc to 4.0.2. It couldn't upgrade GCC without breaking G77.

You might try either updating both in one yum command line (maybe there's a later version that does work with gcc 4.x), or remove G77 if you aren't actually interested in it.

NB: I'm really only familiar with apt, not yum (which is similar in principle, but a different codebase). You may find a GUI for yum useful, especially until you're more familiar with how it works; a quick search shows the existance of a package/program called "yumex".

OK, I dumped the Fortran compiler, and upgraded gcc, but I still have the other dependency problems.

Heh. This is the sort of nonsense that drove me from Redhat back to Debian (I gather that Ubuntu is the debian derivative the cool kids run these days), but they're all stealing ideas back and forth in any case.

Those dependancies are for specific files OpenOffice and openssh-server require (why the packages were written to require files, and not other packages, I do not understand. Sloppiness, or some real issue?). Searching briefly at rpmfind.net (I used it a lot on rpm-based systems - yum or the like may have a superior function to do the same against known repositories nowadays), it appears the OpenOffice ones are from package evolution-data-server (integration with the Evolution email client/PIM?), and db4 (Berkely Database version 4). The OpenSSH one is from package pam; how you don't have that installed already is beyond me.

Rand

Lets see, at your consulting rate of $80-120 per hour I estimate that you have wasted at least $2000 on this problem.

An iMac with a dual boot Windows/Mac OS, DVD burner, lots of software and a 20 inch LCD monitor costs about $1700.

http://store.apple.com/

Yea a real bargain you have there.

Dennis

Dennis, you vastly overestimate the amount of time I've spent on this problem and you vastly underestimate the antipathy I have to Macs, from personal experience (not to mention the basic services that I get from this server, even without the upgrade).

Please proselytize your cult elsewhere.

The upgrades, are, unfortunately, necessary. It's the only (sensible) way to keep up with security threats.

My own home server is scheduled to move from FC-4 to FC-5 on June 16. Usually I do not wait until the base OS runs out of support window.

Several things conspired to make Rand's life difficult, the most important were:
- A failure of RAM module
- yum in FC-3 not being as smart at finding upgrade paths, and the introduction of evolution-data-connector made him remove OpenOffice
- Unusual hard drive layout
- An issue with package signature verification for packages in Fedora Extras (I did not see an update about the ultimate resolution to that one).

Odds are that his move from FC-4 to FC-5 is going to go smoother, if only because the RAM works now.

From my personal experience, I have had quite a bit of trouble with FC-2 and 3. I use Red Hat Enterprise WS 4 which is easy to install and use. And it is our development platform at work, so.. It comes on a DVD, no yum/download/whatnot.

Just a thought...

Apropos of cults, see the Joy of Tech comic website. As I type this, the current comic is of particular interest. If you're reading this later, look at the comic on or around May 31st.

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/index.html

Glenn:

*THANK YOU*. CC'ed, saved, and emailed to numerous people!

Rand:

If you're not familiar with rpmfind, it's a handy tool for these sorts of things.

http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=+libebook.so.8&submit=Search+...

So it looks like you need to upgrade Evolution.

Did I follow, that this is a failed FC3 -> FC4 upgrade?

Lots of bad, bad, bad things could be whacked, as a result of that. Have you done a "yum upgrade" to see what it wants to upgrade, if anything? Might want to try a Evolution upgrade (or wipe out Evolution if you don't use it).

I don't know if it's a "failed" upgrade, so much as a difficult one. I do seem to be running Core 4 now (minus Open Office, though I haven't attempted a reinstall yet). But now I'm trying to get to Core 5, and I think I'm having kernel issues.

Actually, if you had a failed upgrade, I'd try and run a upgrade in place, if possible.

Hrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Rand: sorry, just went back and re-read everything, and I'm still not clear.

What's the problem you're currently facing, and what's happening when you do it?

(Might be delayed a bit in answering, Gentoo install in process today)

Addison, here's the current status.