yum update --security fails with missing dependency errors

Solution Verified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1 and later.
  • Red Hat Network (RHN) Hosted.
  • Red Hat Satellite.
  • yum-security-1.0.4-3.el5-noarch and yum-3.2.22-26.el5 or higher

Issue

  • yum update --security fails with missing dependency errors

below is an example;

Error: Unresolvable requirement /etc/pam.d/system-auth for ppp-2.4.4-1.el5.x86_64 (installed) 
Error: Unresolvable requirement libX11-devel for pango-devel-1.14.9-8.el5.x86_64 (installed) 
Error: Unresolvable requirement pam >= 0.66-12 for coreutils-5.97-12.1.el5.x86_64 (installed) 
Error: Unresolvable requirement pam >= 0.66-5 for SysVinit-2.86-14.x86_64 (installed)

Resolution

  • Confirm that latest yum and yum-security packages are installed on system.
# yum update yum

# yum update yum-security

# rm -rf /var/cache/yum/*

Now try to update security patches on system using

# yum update --security

Root Cause

  • Older version of yum-security packages were installed on system along with latest yum package.
  • Component
  • yum

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