Help request to downgrade RHEL7 workstation from an acciendatly updated beta version

Latest response

Dear community members,

I am quiet new to linux OS. A recent update of my RHEL 7 workstation has end-up updating the OS to RHEL 7.2 beta version due to the presence of beta repos in the repolist, which I was not aware of.

cat /etc/redhat-release
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation release 7.2 Beta (Maipo)

During the process of this accidental update, many packages are found to be broken or not updated successfully and I am failed to access the newly installed kernel.

Update notice RHBA-2014:0796 (from rhel-7-workstation-supplementary-source-rpms) is broken, or a bad duplicate, skipping.
Update notice RHSA-2014:0705 (from rhel-7-workstation-supplementary-source-rpms) is broken, or a bad duplicate, skipping.
Update notice RHSA-2014:0908 (from rhel-7-workstation-thirdparty-oracle-java-source-rpms) is broken, or a bad duplicate, skipping.
You should report this problem to the owner of the rhel-7-workstation-thirdparty-oracle-java-source-rpms repository.

rpm -qa kernel
kernel-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-306.0.1.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-229.7.2.el7.x86_64

Here, I kindly request you to suggest me the possible steps I should take up to come out of the present situation.

Many thanks in advance
Aneesh

AC
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Responses

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
14 September 2015 6:56 AM

Hello

Try this:

1] disable all existing repositories:

# subscription-manager repos --disable "*"

2] Open the repository file in the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory and enable the ones you are sure you need.

3] Synchronize all packages to the currently enable repositories:

# yum  distro-sync

Please see the "distribution-synchronization or distro-sync" entry in the yum manual page.

AC Active Contributor 185 points
16 September 2015 10:45 AM

Dear Stephen,

Many thanks fro your valuable suggestion. I have a quick query here. Since login to system from latest installed kernel ' kernel-3.10.0-306.0.1.el7.x86_64 ' is failed and I am accessing the computer with previous kernel ' kernel-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64 ', do I need to remove the latest kernel ' kernel-3.10.0-306.0.1.el7.x86_64 ' before doing ' yum distro-sync ' ?.

As shown below, at present, I have three kernel installed.
rpm -qa kernel
kernel-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-306.0.1.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-229.7.2.el7.x86_64

Thanks in advance
Aneesh

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
17 September 2015 7:37 AM

Hello

I think quick way is to set the working kernel to be the default kernel and then see what happens after running distro sync.

~]# grubby --set-default /boot/vmlinuz-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64
SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
17 September 2015 7:39 AM

See new section on using grubby in the 7.2-Beta version of the System Administrator's Guide: Configuring GRUB 2 Using the grubby Tool

AC Active Contributor 185 points
18 September 2015 9:39 AM

Dear Stephen,

Thanks for your prompt reply. Adding to my previous comment, whenever I choose a kernel, irrespective of new or old one, immediately after the system get boot from the kernel following message are printed on screen. Sorry for missing this point in the previous comment.

For e.g, when booting from old kernel, kernel-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64, following message is printed on screen

[2.745830] dracut-cmdline[195]: dracut-7.0 (Mapio) dracut-033-314.el7
[2.746308] dracut-cmdline[195]: using kernel command line parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.10.0-229.11.1.el7.x86_64 root=/dev/
mapper/rhel-root ro rd.lvm=rhel/root crashkernel=auto rd.lvm.lv=rhel/swap vconsole.font=latarcyrheb-sun16 vmconsole.keymap=us rhgb quiet LANG=en_US.UTF-8 nouveau.modeset=0 rd.driver.blacklist=nouveau video=vesa:off

Do this affect setting the default kernel to old one?

Many thanks
Aneesh

AC Active Contributor 185 points
24 September 2015 2:44 PM

Hello,

I have carried out ' yum distro-sync' as you suggested. Unfortunately, the process got terminated showing the following error

Error: Package: samba-client-libs-4.2.3-5.el7.x86_64 (@rhel-7-workstation-beta-rpms)
Requires: libwbclient = 4.2.3-5.el7
Removing: libwbclient-4.2.3-5.el7.x86_64 (@rhel-7-workstation-beta-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.2.3-5.el7
Downgraded By: libwbclient-4.1.12-23.el7_1.x86_64 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.12-23.el7_1
Available: libwbclient-4.1.1-31.el7.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.1-31.el7
Available: libwbclient-4.1.1-33.el7_0.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.1-33.el7_0
Available: libwbclient-4.1.1-35.el7_0.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.1-35.el7_0
Available: libwbclient-4.1.1-37.el7_0.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.1-37.el7_0
Available: libwbclient-4.1.1-38.el7_0.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.1-38.el7_0
Available: libwbclient-4.1.12-21.el7_1.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libwbclient = 4.1.12-21.el7_1
Error: kde-style-oxygen conflicts with kde-workspace-libs-4.10.5-21.el7.x86_64
Error: compat-libcolord1 conflicts with colord-1.0.4-3.el7.x86_64
Error: Package: python-libipa_hbac-1.13.0-22.el7.x86_64 (@rhel-7-workstation-beta-rpms)
Requires: libipa_hbac = 1.13.0-22.el7
Removing: libipa_hbac-1.13.0-22.el7.x86_64 (@rhel-7-workstation-beta-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.13.0-22.el7
Downgraded By: libipa_hbac-1.12.2-58.el7_1.17.x86_64 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.12.2-58.el7_1.17
Available: libipa_hbac-1.11.2-65.el7.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.11.2-65.el7
Available: libipa_hbac-1.11.2-68.el7_0.5.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.11.2-68.el7_0.5
Available: libipa_hbac-1.11.2-68.el7_0.6.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.11.2-68.el7_0.6
Available: libipa_hbac-1.12.2-58.el7.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.12.2-58.el7
Available: libipa_hbac-1.12.2-58.el7_1.6.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.12.2-58.el7_1.6
Available: libipa_hbac-1.12.2-58.el7_1.14.i686 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
libipa_hbac = 1.12.2-58.el7_1.14
You could try using --skip-broken to work around the problem
You could try running: rpm -Va --nofiles --nodigest

Any help from your side to figure out the issue will be a grateful.

Many thanks
Aneesh

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
24 September 2015 9:40 PM

Hello

Is there an important reason why you do not want to use the 7.2-Beta on your Workstation? You could reinstall if there really is an important reason.

I am sorry I cannot think of anything else at this time.

ir. Jan Gerrit Kootstra's picture Guru 6222 points
24 September 2015 9:54 PM

Hello Stephen,

The reason I can think off: updating from RHEL x.y-Beta to RHEL x.y is not supported.

Why does the yum distro-sync fail?
You advised to disable all repos, where only the beta channels should have been disabled.

@Aneesh:
re-enable your repos and check whether the beta channels are re-enabled.
If so do the following, disable the beta channels based on:
https://access.redhat.com/solutions/265523

now re-run the command:
yum distro-sync

Regards,

Jan Gerrit Kootstra

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
25 September 2015 6:35 AM

Hello Jan

That sounds like a good reason, especially for a server.

I advised to disable all repos and then enable the ones needed (see my step 2). It is a safe way I think. Enabling additional repos should be a conscious decision based on real need.

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
25 September 2015 10:08 AM

Hello

My clever colleague has pointed out that the yum history command has an undo option.

See Reverting and Repeating Transactions in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 System Administrator's Guide.

AC Active Contributor 185 points
25 September 2015 10:52 AM

Hello,

Thanks for the reply.
@ Jan, I have already followed the steps mentioned in https://access.redhat.com/solutions/265523.

I have enabled all RHEL repos other than the beta one using the command, subscription-manager repos --enable . But, unfortunately yum distro-sync failed with the error as mentioned in my previous comment.

Two reasons I want to come out of beta versions are,

  1. During the last update, where this tragedy happened, many packages has broken and didnt get updated successfully. I have posted the same here, https://access.redhat.com/discussions/1609733

  2. My login with latest kernel has failed. https://access.redhat.com/discussions/1611933

Many thanks
Aneesh

AC Active Contributor 185 points
25 September 2015 12:11 PM

Hello,

Thanks Stephen. I just tried doing 'yum history undo id' as you suggested. Here also, unfortunately the broken updates created issues, as shown below.

--> Running transaction check
---> Package autocorr-en.noarch 1:4.2.6.3-5.el7 will be a downgrade
--> Processing Dependency: autocorr-en for package: 1:libreoffice-core-4.2.6.3-5.el7.x86_64
---> Package autocorr-en.noarch 1:4.3.7.2-5.el7 will be erased
---> Package autocorr-en.noarch 1:4.3.7.2-5.el7 will be erased
--> Processing Dependency: autocorr-en for package: 1:libreoffice-core-4.2.6.3-5.el7.x86_64
---> Package autocorr-en.noarch 1:4.3.7.2-5.el7 will be erased
--> Processing Dependency: autocorr-en for package: 1:libreoffice-core-4.2.6.3-5.el7.x86_64
---> Package kde-l10n.noarch 0:4.10.5-2.el7 will be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
Error: Package: 1:libreoffice-core-4.2.6.3-5.el7.x86_64 (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
Requires: autocorr-en
Removing: 1:autocorr-en-4.3.7.2-5.el7.noarch (@rhel-7-workstation-beta-rpms)
autocorr-en = 1:4.3.7.2-5.el7
Available: 1:autocorr-en-4.1.4.2-3.el7.noarch (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
autocorr-en = 1:4.1.4.2-3.el7
Available: 1:autocorr-en-4.2.6.3-5.el7.noarch (rhel-7-workstation-rpms)
autocorr-en = 1:4.2.6.3-5.el7
You could try using --skip-broken to work around the problem
You could try running: rpm -Va --nofiles --nodigest

A quick query here, will it be safe if I use --skip-broken option with yum history undo?

Many thanks
Aneesh

SW Red Hat Guru 4022 points
25 September 2015 12:29 PM

Hello

I have seldom had success with --skip-broken option so I cannot recommend it. I would reinstall, but If you are about to reinstall, then you do not have much to loose by trying that option.

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