How to Fix “Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum” Error

The “Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum” error message appears when the RPM database gets modified by a process other than the yum package manager. This usually occurs when you install or remove packages using the ‘rpm’ command directly, which can lead to inconsistencies between the RPM database and yum’s knowledge of installed packages. Fixing this issue is essential to maintain a healthy and functional package management system on your Linux server.

..
..                                          
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum.
..
..

In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to resolve the “Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum” error, which will ensure that your package manager operates smoothly and effectively. The desired outcome is to have a consistent package management system without any warning messages.

Step 1: Rebuild the RPM Database

Open the terminal on your Linux machine.
Execute the following command to rebuild the RPM database:

sudo rpm --rebuilddb

The command will take a few moments to complete. Once it’s done, the RPM database will be rebuilt and should be in sync with the yum package manager.

Step 2: Clean Yum Cache

In the terminal, enter the following command to clean the yum cache:

sudo yum clean all

This command will remove any cached package data from the system, ensuring that yum retrieves fresh package information from the repositories.

[root@geeks ~]# yum clean all
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Cleaning repos: CentOS6.2-Repository
Cleaning up Everything
Cleaning up list of fastest mirrors

Step 3: Verify the RPM Database and Yum Consistency

Run a test by executing a standard yum operation, such as updating the system:

sudo yum update

If the “Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum” error no longer appears, the issue has been resolved.

Commands Mentioned:

• rpm – A package manager for RPM-based Linux distributions, used to install, remove, and manage packages.
• yum – A command-line package management utility for RPM-based Linux systems that simplifies package management by automatically handling dependencies and repository updates.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully resolved the “Warning: RPMDB altered outside of yum” error on your Linux system. This ensures that your package management system operates correctly and maintains consistency between the RPM database and the yum package manager. As a result, you can now confidently manage your packages and updates without encountering any warning messages.

Remember that to prevent this issue from happening again, it is advisable to use the yum package manager for all package-related operations, as it handles dependencies and maintains consistency with the RPM database.

Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and suggestions for improvements to this guide. Your feedback is essential in helping us deliver the most accurate and useful information possible.