Security Updates -- Are they necessary in Linux for user?

[Les Mikesell]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> Tim wrote:
>> Scott van Looy:
>>>> Default is not to cache files. Change:
>>>> keepcache=0
>>>> in /etc/yum.conf
>>  
>>
>> Mikkel L. Ellertson: 
>>> This controls keeping of installed files. but doesn't YUM keep the
>>> files it was not able to install even with keepcache=0?
>> The parameter is called keepcache not keepinstalled, and that seems to
>> be how it behaves, despite what it says about it the yum.conf man page:
>>
>>  keepcache
>>    Either ¡1¢ or ¡0¢. Determines whether or not yum keeps the cache
>>    of  headers  and packages after succesful installation.  Default
>>    is ¢1¢ (keep files)
>>
>> I've observed it to dump files its cached for the next run, so they need
>> re-downloading, even if they weren't installed.
>>
>> NB:  Although the default for YUM may be "1" (keep files), the default
>> preset in the yum.conf file is "0" (don't keep files).
>>
>>
> I have had just the opposite experience - the files are still in
> /var/cache/yum/{repo}/packages. At times, I have used rpm to install
> most of the packages.
> 
> I wish YUM would install the packages that do not have conflicts,
> instead of aborting on the first error...

Yum is a strange beast, best left to do things its own way, which has 
varied wildly between versions (including that default about keeping the 
cached files).  If you do a 'yum search yum' you'll see a variety of 
tools intended to help tame the beast in the extras repository.  If 
there is some way to find out what yum-utils and the assortment of 
plugins actually do, I haven't found it yet.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com