How to safely remove unsupported packages after FC13 upgrade

[moonlighter]

Sorry for asking a newbie question here.

I managed to successfully upgrade FC11 to FC13. While doing the post upgrade steps, I made a HUGE mistake. After identifying the unsupported packages, I used "yum remove package1 package2" command to remove the obsoleted ones without realizing the yum was also removing many FC13 packages!

Here are the cmd sequence used:

# package-cleanup --orphans
...
# yum remove compat-db45-4.5.20-5.fc10.i386 flash-plugin-10.0.32.18-release.i386 gnome-spell-1.0.8-5.fc9.i386 ifd-egate-0.05-21.i586 libXTrap-1.0.0-6.fc10.i386 libXfontcache-1.0.4-5.fc9.i386 libdhcp4client-4.0.0-37.fc10.i386 libvolume_id-141-8.fc11.i586 nss-softokn-freebl-3.12.6-1.2.fc11.i586 paktype-fonts-2.0-3.fc11.noarch preupgrade-1.1.5-1.fc11.noarch remi-release-10-5.fc10.remi.noarch rhpl-0.221-1.i586 xml-commons-which-1.0-2.b2.0.3.fc11.i586

I simply typed Yes and left unattended for a few minutes after yum prompted there were # of packages to be removed as I blindly believed it would do the job.

After returning to the computer, I found many installed icons were disappearing, the wireless suddenly turned off etc. I killed the yum process right away but it was too late.

Now I have few questions:

-Is there anything I could do to undo the yum remove process?
-How to safely remove supported packages?

Many thanks.

[CSchwangler]

There is no rollback mechanism, if you mean that. There is a log file which contains the list of actions yum did. It is /var/log/yum.log.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by

How to safely remove supported packages?

What yum did is, it looked at the packages to remove, calculated all dependencies and then asked kindly if that is what you wanted to do and you said "yes".

Also keep in mind that it is not unusual for a F13 system to contain packages from F12, or even F11 or F10. If there is no newer version of a package and the developers don't touch it, the label doesn't change to .f13.

[moonlighter]

Originally Posted by CSchwangler

There is no rollback mechanism, if you mean that. There is a log file which contains the list of actions yum did. It is /var/log/yum.log.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by

What yum did is, it looked at the packages to remove, calculated all dependencies and then asked kindly if that is what you wanted to do and you said "yes".

Also keep in mind that it is not unusual for a F13 system to contain packages from F12, or even F11 or F10. If there is no newer version of a package and the developers don't touch it, the label doesn't change to .f13.

What I meant was really only to remove the packages mentioned in the command line. What I didn't aware of was that yum also removed their dependencies. As a result, I accidentally had many other FC13 packages removed. If I remember correctly, yum prompted to say over 1000 packages needed to be removed.

To me, yum overdid what I really intended.

[leigh123linux]

Originally Posted by CSchwangler

There is no rollback mechanism, if you mean that. There is a log file which contains the list of actions yum did. It is /var/log/yum.log.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by



What yum did is, it looked at the packages to remove, calculated all dependencies and then asked kindly if that is what you wanted to do and you said "yes".

Also keep in mind that it is not unusual for a F13 system to contain packages from F12, or even F11 or F10. If there is no newer version of a package and the developers don't touch it, the label doesn't change to .f13.

There is the history feature for yum.

su
yum history

[root@localhost leigh]# yum history
Loaded plugins: langpacks, presto, refresh-packagekit, remove-with-leaves, show-
              : leaves
Adding en_GB to language list
ID     | Login user             | Date and time    | Action(s)      | Altered
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   335 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-02 16:25 | Install        |    1   
   334 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-02 12:15 | Update         |   15   
   333 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-02 12:12 | Install        |    1   
   332 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-02 12:08 | Install        |    1   
   331 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-01 19:32 | I, U           |    6   
   330 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-06-01 16:13 | Update         |    4   
   329 | System <unset>         | 2010-05-31 22:17 | Update         |   15   
   328 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-31 22:16 | Erase          |    2   
   327 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-31 22:14 | Install        |    2   
   326 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-31 22:12 | Install        |    3   
   325 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-31 22:02 | Install        |   17   
   324 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-30 02:04 | Install        |    1   
   323 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-29 18:56 | Install        |   26   
   322 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-29 14:12 | Install        |    1  <
   321 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-29 11:35 | Update         |    1 > 
   320 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-29 11:25 | I, O, U        |   27   
   319 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-28 12:01 | Update         |    5  <
   318 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-27 22:05 | E, I, U        |    6 ><
   317 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-27 11:58 | Update         |   13 > 
   316 | Leigh Scott <leigh>    | 2010-05-27 11:47 | Install        |    1   
history list

to list the transaction

yum history info <transaction id>

[root@localhost leigh]# yum history info 316
Loaded plugins: langpacks, presto, refresh-packagekit, remove-with-leaves, show-leaves
Adding en_GB to language list
Transaction ID : 316
Begin time     : Thu May 27 11:47:45 2010
Begin rpmdb    : 2084:bbd91c5a68fd35f13412e2da5b72ea1664df596f
End time       :            11:47:51 2010 (6 seconds)
End rpmdb      : 2085:7517594c3b571a64dc22ea4dc4a4a42b675fda31
User           : Leigh Scott <leigh>
Return-Code    : Success
Transaction performed with:
    Installed    rpm-4.8.0-14.fc13.x86_64
    Installed    yum-3.2.27-4.fc13.noarch
    Installed    yum-metadata-parser-1.1.4-1.fc13.x86_64
    Installed    yum-presto-0.6.2-1.fc13.noarch
Packages Altered:
    Install      libcompizconfig-devel-0.8.4-3.fc13.x86_64
history info

And to roll-back

yum history undo <transaction id>

[root@localhost leigh]# yum history undo 316
Loaded plugins: langpacks, presto, refresh-packagekit, remove-with-leaves, show-leaves
Adding en_GB to language list
flash                                                                                                                  | 2.6 kB     00:00     
rpmfusion-free-updates                                                                                                 | 2.8 kB     00:00     
rpmfusion-nonfree-updates                                                                                              | 2.8 kB     00:00     
updates/metalink                                                                                                       | 9.1 kB     00:00     
updates                                                                                                                | 4.5 kB     00:00     
updates/primary_db                                                                                                     | 1.6 MB     00:02     
virtualbox                                                                                                             |  951 B     00:00     
virtualbox/primary                                                                                                     | 2.1 kB     00:00     
virtualbox                                                                                                                                3/3
Undoing transaction 316, from Thu May 27 11:47:45 2010
    Install      libcompizconfig-devel-0.8.4-3.fc13.x86_64
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package libcompizconfig-devel.x86_64 0:0.8.4-3.fc13 set to be erased
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

==============================================================================================================================================
 Package                                  Arch                      Version                         Repository                           Size
==============================================================================================================================================
Removing:
 libcompizconfig-devel                    x86_64                    0.8.4-3.fc13                    @updates-testing                     31 k

Transaction Summary
==============================================================================================================================================
Remove        1 Package(s)
Reinstall     0 Package(s)
Downgrade     0 Package(s)

Is this ok [y/N]:

[kurtdriver]

I've had this experience, except that I didn't leave and was able to do a quick Crtl-Z to stop it. I thought I was just removing fonts for every language known to man, there goes a bunch of other stuff.
I think it would be best to back up and re-install.
If the logs tell you what yum did, you might be able to install those packages.

Edit: it can undo transactions? Wow!

[AdamW]

yeah, new feature of yum recently. it's shiny., not magical, but should help in this case.

The safe way to do this operation is just to manually check the list of packages yum will remove and cancel in a hurry if it looks insane. =) I suspect this is nss fallout; I think the command would probably work fine if you left the nss-softokn-freebl-3.12.6-1.2.fc11.i586 package out of the list.

[moonlighter]

Originally Posted by leigh123linux

There is the history feature for yum.

Thanks man! I'm going try this once get home. yum deleted about dozens of packages before it was killed. Hopefully they were recoverable.

I can still log in the machine, but no top menu bar, the wireless turned off, no top status bar... I'm mad at myself for doing something stupid ending up big consequences.

[kurtdriver]

Originally Posted by moonlighter

Thanks man! I'm going try this once get home. yum deleted about dozens of packages before it was killed. Hopefully they were recoverable.

I can still log in the machine, but no top menu bar, the wireless turned off, no top status bar... I'm mad at myself for doing something stupid ending up big consequences.

You understand that this requires the internet? You'll need a cable. Or you might be able to set up the wireless manually (from a command line).
Good Luck!

[marko]

Doesn't the F13 yum rollback feature only work if you installed btrfs ?

[leigh123linux]

Originally Posted by marko

Doesn't the F13 yum rollback feature only work if you installed btrfs ?

It works here OK on plain EXT3 partitions.

[moonlighter]

Originally Posted by kurtdriver

You understand that this requires the internet? You'll need a cable. Or you might be able to set up the wireless manually (from a command line).
Good Luck!

I couldn't even get the internet up running. I checked the yum.log and found that system-config-firewall, system-config-network-tui, system-config-network were erased during the disaster. Is there a place I could download these 3 rpm packages and manually install them so I could have networking setup? Thanks!

[leigh123linux]

Try here

http://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/...ux/updates/13/

http://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/...13/Everything/

[moonlighter]

Originally Posted by leigh123linux

Try here

http://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/...ux/updates/13/

http://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/...13/Everything/

Thanks Leigh. I installed those packages but still cannot get the network up running. I enable the eth0 using system-config-network but no response when I pinged a domain.

The dmesg | grep eth shows eth0: link is not ready. How do I check what else is missing to get the network up?

[AdamW]

try just 'dhclient eth0', that's a short-cut that'll usually get a typical ethernet connection up.

marko: this isn't actually the yum rollback feature, history and rollback are different. it's a slightly slippery distinction. basically yum history just records what the transaction was, and can do the inverse of that transaction. it's not *really* a rollback, because it's not going back to the actual data that was on your system at the time; it's just doing the opposite of a previous transaction. As I said, it's not foolproof: the ultimate *effect* of a 'yum history undo' will not always be to bring you back to the exact situation you had before doing the initial transaction, it could be tripped up by changes in the repositories or what happens in %post / %pre scripts and so forth.

[moonlighter]

Originally Posted by AdamW

try just 'dhclient eth0', that's a short-cut that'll usually get a typical ethernet connection up.

Tried but still the same. The 'dhclient eth0' didn't give any error or any message. Cannot ping to any domain.

# ping yahoo.com
PING yahoo.com (72.30.2.43) 56(84) byte of data.

Then hung it there.