Upgrading from 4.0 to 4.1

[Derick Centeno]

Ah Ted:
Culpa, culpa, mea culpa.  Translation from Latin: Fault, fault, my 
fault.

My explanation was aimed at providing a background which you could 
refer to later over time as you came to understand yum for yourself.

yum, when yum.conf is prepared properly can provide updates within a 
version set say between YDL 3 - 3.0.1, YDL 4.0 - 4.0.1, YDL 4.1- 4.x.  
Here for instance are three distinct versions of YDL.  yum can provide 
updates and installation (and other things such as removing prior 
installations, searching for new programs and associated dependencies) 
within a version of YDL.  So say, within YDL 3.0 yum will and can 
provide updates all the way up to YDL 3.0.1.  yum can be directed to 
access the information for YDL 4.0 and higher, but if your installation 
is YDL 3.0 which may include particular settings or code not available 
(or perhaps even replaced or superceded) in YDL 4.1-- then obviously 
making the modifications to yum.conf to install a more advanced version 
of YDL is not a good idea.

The problem is not whether yum can do something but whether your own 
skill level is advanced enough to undo the mixup if something goes 
wrong because you instructed yum to install more advanced software and 
dependencies than your base version of YDL.  So if your base version of 
YDL is 3.0 then directing yum to install updates meant for YDL 4.1 is 
not a good idea unless your skills and understanding are such that you 
really understand what you are doing and why.  In short, if you are 
running your own private virtual lab on your Linux box -- that is one 
scenario and the risk -- if anything goes wrong affects only you.  
However, if your box is running a lab or a college or anything which 
others use besides yourself, you need to consider these needs and 
responsibilities first, or you should consider that you will or could 
really mess things up for these other people as well as for yourself.

Right now updates, new installations and programs can be gotten via yum 
within YDL 4.1.  This doesn't mean that one is going beyond what is 
available for YDL 4.1, but rather that one is using or installing those 
programs built to be associated and used with YDL 4.1.

Apologies for the confusing description, but really how one utilizes 
yum depends upon what one is doing with their hardware.  Let me try a 
completely different approach.  Let's suppose I have the old 233MHz G3 
Beige Tower Mac (I still have this machine; it's in pieces right now, 
but I have it) and it's running YDL 3.0.  I want to move to YDL 4.1.  
The problem here is not yum.  If I arrange the code in yum.conf 
correctly yum will access YDL 4.1 perfectly, and install it.  The 
correct problem to consider is whether my computer is advanced enough 
to use the new instruction set and whether this is actually something I 
need to do.  In other words, I also need to consider carefully whether 
upgrading the code makes sense for the old computer I have.  The new 
code is more efficient for newer processors and a faster processing 
environment -- do I really need that?  Also I need to keep in mind that 
yum will replace older code with whatever it is told to search.  It 
doesn't have the capacity or programming instructions to restore the 
older code to it's former state.  So unless I have a backup of the 
original settings or arrangement of YDL 3.0; I could wreck a rather 
nicely working Linux environment for no particularly good reason.

With the more recently designed computers this concern is less a 
problem.  One can move with confidence from YDL 4.0 to YDL 4.1 and 
beyond.  Remember the issue and complexity grows with understanding, 
just in the same way when one comes to understand one's possible range 
of motion with the Tango, Rumba or Merengue.

Recall that the range for YDL 4.0 - YDL 4.0.1 or YDL 4.0.x, but does 
not include YDL 4.1!  So yum with YDL 4.0 will and can access that 
range between YDL 4.0 - YDL 4.0.x and no further.  As one learns more, 
one will see why for oneself more clearly.

Ok?  Best wishes.....

On Jun 13, 2006, at 12:04 AM, Ted Goranson wrote:

> Derick-
>
> The effort you put in your message is appreciated. Greatly. Thank you.
>
> But on close reading, I fear I don't understand how you answered my 
> question.
>
> I asked, knowing that I have 4.0 and want to go to 4.1, or at least 
> the kde on 4.1, possibly via yum somehow:
>
>>> So is it true that with a default yum file, I can only update to 
>>> 4.0x?
>
> And you said:
>
> Derick Centeno wrote on 6/12/06:
>> The short answer is no.
>
> ...and then patiently explained about dependencies. Sadly, I am 
> unclear. Is it no that it is not true that I am limited to only going 
> as far as 4.0x and not to 4.1 or any part via yum?
>
> Or did you mean yes, it is true that I cannot update to stuff on the 
> 4.1 CDs or mirrors via yum.
>
> Best, Ted
> -- 
> __________
> Ted Goranson
> Sirius-Beta