[Techtalk] Problem updating critical security updates for Red Hat 7.3

[Magni Onsoien]

On Fri, Nov 01, 2002 at 04:08:43PM +0000, linda ling said:
> security update.About the critical security updates,seriously i don't knoow 
> how is it done.Can anyone kindly help me with this?Thanks a lot.Thank you 
> very much.

First of all: I have no idea at all whether your modem will work or not
after an upgrade (I don't know the driver at all).

What kind of network connectivity do you have now? None, or are you able
to get online somehow?

*If* you can go online, set up Redhat Network (up2date) and use up2date to
upgrade the kernel. Try to start up2date and follow the instructions, or
copy the message and ask for more help here. (The instructions are
fairly easy, and I will probably cause more confusion if I tell them the
way I remember them. Just ask if you are stuck.)

Run up2date and install the packages that should be installed. You will
have to select to install the kernel-packages, they are not preselected.
Just select them even though they are "marked in your configuration as 
being skipped". Click "next" until the program says it's finished.
Ta-da, kernel upgraded! The old version of the kernel will remain, so
you can boot it (select linux.old at boot, I think) if the new one for
some reason doesn't work.

Then, what if you CAN'T get online with this computer? Then you have to 
download the updates to another networked computer, from from fex.
ftp://ftp.uninett.no/linux/RedHat/updates/7.3/en/os/i386/ (or any other
RedHat-mirror, I don't know where you are, so I just use my closest
mirror as an example. It will probably work for you too, but there may
be faster options.). Grab all the files unless your connection is slow.
At least grab kernel-2.4.18-17.7.x.i386.rpm, and check that the package 
modutils installed on your system is newer then 2.4.18 (type 
'rpm -q modutils' in an xterm).

Burn the files on a CD, it doesn't have to be bootable or anything.
Insert the CD, and install the packages from it.

There are graphical tools for mounting the CD and installing from it. If
you know them and can use them, good. Go on. But I don't, so I will
explain it by using the command line as I would do it myself.

Start an xterm (terminal window).
Be root.
Type the following commands:
  mount /mnt/cdrom
  cd /mnt/cdrom
  rpm -ivh kernel* modutils*

It's important that you use -i as a flag to rpm, not -U or -F. That's
because you want to keep the old kernel just in case the new one breaks
the system.

Have a look at the file /etc/grub.conf and make sure the kernel you just
installed is mentionned there, like fex. "Red Hat Linux
(2.4.18-17.7.x)".

Reboot, select the new kernel if it isn't done automagically.

Configure your modem :)

So, in short: if you have other network opportunities on this computer,
use up2date to install new kernel.
If you don't have network at all on the computer, download the new kernel 
to another computer, burn a CD and install from that.


Magni :)
-- 
sash is very good for you.