[CentOS] how to move forward/undo/revert/fix re: a failed CentOS 5.5 to SL 5.5 migration ... [SOLVED?]

Larry Vaden wrote on 01/30/2011 08:41 PM:
...
> With apologies for replying to my own post, the final solution
> (possibly regarded as draconian and puerile by others) which seemed to
> work to return to a consistent state was to download Oracle R5U6 and
> invoke 'rpm -ivh' following some rpm which must be set aside in order
> to avoid "can not coexist." (e.g., bind vs. bind97 et al).

So, out of morbid curiosity, and because it seems to have been my post 
on the SL list you quoted that helped get you into this state, was 
anything other than the replacement process actually broken?

It is completely unsurprising that the kernel RPMS failed to install 
over the like versions, but I would have expected things to work with 
the CentOS kernels on the SL/CentOS mixed system.  The replacement 
process was only suggested as something for those really paranoid about 
not having all the packages from the same distro to try, and I certainly 
would not have endorsed throwing Oracle into the mix.  For the record, 
if I really wanted to replace the kernels, my process would have been 
something like:

1. Boot from an older <OldOS> kernel.
2. Remove the newer <OldOS> kernel[s].
3. Install the latest <NewOS> kernel with yum.
4. Reboot to the <NewOS> kernel.
5. Remove the remaining <OldOS> kernel, or perhaps better leave for a 
fallback.

By the way, my initial post in the SL thread started: "The procedure 
(untested by me) should be similar to the procedure on the
CentOS Wiki for migration from RHEL to CentOS...".

Caveat Emptor! :-)

Will be interesting to see how you fare with your three-way hybrid when 
CentOS 5.6 hits the mirrors.

Good luck,
Phil