RPM dependency problem on Fedora FC4

[ed at eh3.com (Ed Hill)]

On Fri, 2005-08-12 at 08:45 -0400, Matthew Gillen wrote:
> Robert La Ferla wrote:
> > I am trying to download and install "rpm", rpm-build", "rpm-devel", and
> > "rpm-python" using up2date but I am getting this error message:
> > 
> > There was a package dependency problem. The message was:
> > 
> > Unresolvable chain of dependencies:
> > apt-0.5.15cnc6-53.1.rhfc3.at             requires rpm = 4.3.2
>                                         ^^^
> Looks like you're trying to install a package compiled for FC3.  You
> probably have a hard-coded "release version" in your up2date/yum config.
>  Try to get one that ends in rhfc4.at

Hi folks,

For Fedora (and every other RPM-based distro), mixing-and-matching RPMs
from different versions and different repositories and/or sources will
sometimes (often?) work.  But its also somewhat likely to create a
miserable tangle of unresolvable dependencies and RPMs that conflict in
obvious-to-extremely-subtle ways (file and/or directory ownership and
permission, library versions, ABIs, pre-/post-install scripts that
trample on other packages, etc.).

So, its generally a good idea to use as few different RPM "repos" or
other sources as possible and to very carefully limit the scope/number
of RPMs you install.  Although the situation has changed somewhat over
the past 1+ years since DAG wrote this:

  http://dag.wieers.com/home-made/apt/FAQ.php#D

the recommendation is still pretty good advice.  Fedora Extras is now
much more open and people are able to join and work on the packaging
process as package owners and maintainers:

  http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Extras

Ed

ps - Its difficult enough to get just *one* RPM repository to be 
     completely self-consistent.  Creating a big group of compatible
     packages is not an easy task.  Lots of little fiddly things can,
     and frequently do, conflict.  Trying to harmonize across multiple
     different repositories and major releases (Core 3,4,...) only 
     compounds the problems.

-- 
Edward H. Hill III, PhD
office:  MIT Dept. of EAPS;  Rm 54-1424;  77 Massachusetts Ave.
             Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
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