Hi Larry,
Yes, there is a difference, but at the beginning they are the same.

If you do a "yum upgrade" and it replaced yum-conf-44 with yum-conf-4x, that is 
going to keep you at 4x.  Which means that when we have our new release 4.8, 
and we move the link of 4x to point to 48, then your system is going to 
automatically be updated to 48.  This might be what some people want, which is 
why there is a yum-conf-4x.

If you just use the long rpm command
rpm -Uvh 
ftp://ftp.scientificlinux.org/linux/scientific/4x/i386/misc/RPMS/yum-conf-latest.SL.noarch.rpm 

Then that will just get you the normal yum-conf wich is in the latest release. 
  So currently that will install yum-conf-4.7.  That will then update you to SL 
4.7.  But when we release 4.8, and the 4x link get's changed, you will not be 
automatically updated to 4.8, but will still be at 4.7.  This might be what 
some people want, which is why yum-xonf-4x isn't installed by default.

Does that help?

Troy

P. Larry Nelson wrote:
> This is most likely a Troy or Connie question but thought I'd post
> here in case others might have the same question burning in the
> back of their brains.
> 
> Is there much, if any, difference between upgrading from one minor
> release to another (say, SL44 to SL46) using the rpm command as
> stated in the instructions in the HowTo here:
>   (https://www.scientificlinux.org/documentation/howto/upgrade.4x)
> and just doing a 'yum upgrade; yum clean all; yum update' ?
> 
> It seems that the 'yum upgrade' grabbed the yum-conf-4x.noarch 4:1-5.SL
> and replaced the yum-conf.noarch 4:44-1.SL, which is what I assume
> the lonnng rpm command would do?
> 
> Thanks!
> - Larry
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Troy Dawson  [log in to unmask]  (630)840-6468
Fermilab  ComputingDivision/LCSI/CSI DSS Group
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