DepParse

A comprehensive toolkit for analyzing package dependency issues and version mismatches in RHEL 8/9 systems.

Tools Included

1. yumlooper.sh - DNF/YUM Dependency Analyzer

Parses complete dependency chains from dnf/yum error logs and provides actionable fix recommendations.

2. cleanup_analyzer.sh - Package Version Mismatch Detector (NEW!)

Analyzes package-cleanup --problems output to identify version mismatches and partial update issues.

3. investigate_blockers.sh - Package Upgrade Blocker Detective

Investigates why specific packages cannot be upgraded.

Features

• ✅ Chain-traced root cause - follows the dependency chain to find the ACTUAL blocking package, not what DNF blames
• ✅ Inverted-log correction - DNF logs blame the top-level package; DepParse traces downstream to the real failure point
• ✅ Filtered update detection - identifies --security/--advisory dependency gaps (does not belong to a distupgrade repository)
• ✅ Visual dependency tree - per-problem tree with blocker labels, version pins, and cause-effect summary
• ✅ Modular conflict detection - identifies RHEL 8/9 DNF module stream conflicts
• ✅ Parses complete dependency chains including "requires" relationships
• ✅ Identifies root cause missing dependencies and blocked providers
• ✅ Detects version conflicts (cannot install both) and blocked updates
• ✅ Detects version mismatches between packages and subpackages
• ✅ Analyzes partial update scenarios (interrupted transactions, mixed versions)
• ✅ Prioritized troubleshooting - recommends removing the true blocker first
• ✅ Organizes output by problem number for easy navigation
• ✅ Optional repository queries with --run-queries flag
• ✅ Accepts custom log file path as argument (default: yumlog.txt)
• ✅ Single comprehensive log file - all analysis in one place
• ✅ Clean stdout summary with issue type, dependency chain, and troubleshooting steps

Quick Start

1. Get the dependency error from the customer system:

   dnf update 2>&1 | tee yumlog.txt

2. Run the analyzer (pass the log file as an argument, or default to yumlog.txt):

   ./yumlooper.sh yumlog.txt

3. Review the analysis, send the troubleshooting commands to the customer, and iterate

Usage

./yumlooper.sh                         # Reads yumlog.txt in current dir
./yumlooper.sh /path/to/logfile.txt    # Reads specified log file
./yumlooper.sh logfile.txt --run-queries  # Also queries yum/dnf repos on THIS server
./yumlooper.sh -v                      # Verbose mode (reserved for future use)
./yumlooper.sh --help                  # Show help

Output

Standard Output (stdout)

Shows the issue type, traced dependency chain, root cause, and prioritized troubleshooting.

Example 1: Installed package pinning versions (modular conflict)

Issue Type: modular_conflict

Dependency chain:
--------------------

  ant-javamail (installed, no update) ← BLOCKER
  └─ needs ant = 1.10.5 ← VERSION CONFLICT
  └─ needs mvn(org.apache.ant:ant) = 1.10.5
  |
  Held back:
    • ant: 1.10.5-1 -> 1.10.9-1 [BLOCKED]
    • ant-lib: 1.10.5-1 -> 1.10.9-1 [BLOCKED]

Root cause: DNF module stream conflict

Example 2: Filtered update (--security) dependency gap

Issue Type: filtered_dependency_gap

Dependency chain:
--------------------

  sssd-ipa (wants to update, BLOCKED)
  └─ needs samba-client-libs >= 4.19.4
     └─ needs samba-common-libs = 4.19.4 ← NOT IN UPDATE SCOPE
  samba-common-libs (wants to update, BLOCKED)
    └─ NOT IN UPDATE SCOPE (--security/--advisory)

Root cause: samba-common-libs needs to be updated but is not included
  in the filtered transaction (--security/--advisory/distro-sync).

Option 1 (RECOMMENDED): Update the dependency packages first, then retry
  yum update samba-common-libs
  yum update --security

DNF blames sssd-ipa in the log. DepParse traces the chain and identifies samba-common-libs as the actual root cause.

Analysis Log File: depparse_analysis.log

A single comprehensive file containing:

1. DEPENDENCY TREE - Visual per-problem tree identifying blockers and held-back packages

   Problem 1:
    ant-javamail-1.10.5 (installed, NO UPDATE AVAILABLE) <-- BLOCKER
    └── requires: ant = 1.10.5 (version pin)
         ├── ant-1.10.5 (installed) <-> ant-1.10.9 (appstream) CONFLICT
         └── -> ant, ant-lib held back by ant-javamail-1.10.5
   
   Problem 2:
    ant-javamail-1.10.5 (codeready-builder + installed, NO UPDATE AVAILABLE) <-- BLOCKER
    └── requires: mvn(org.apache.ant:ant) = 1.10.5 (version pin)
         ├── ant-lib-1.10.5 (installed) <-> ant-lib-1.10.9 (appstream) CONFLICT
         └── -> ant, ant-lib held back by ant-javamail-1.10.5
   

2. ISSUE TYPE ANALYSIS - Detected issue classification (modular conflict, version pin blocker, filtered dependency gap, circular dependency, missing dependency, blocked update)

3. BLOCKING CHAIN ANALYSIS - Identifies true blockers (no update available) vs held-back packages (have updates), with root cause explanation

4. VERSION CONFLICTS / BLOCKED UPDATES - Raw conflict and blocker data

5. REPOSITORY ANALYSIS (with --run-queries) - Available packages from enabled repos

To view the full analysis:

cat depparse_analysis.log
# or
less depparse_analysis.log

What It Parses

• problem with installed package - Genuinely installed blockers (version pins)
• nothing provides <dependency> - Root cause missing dependencies
• but none of the providers can be installed - Blocked dependency providers (chain edges)
• package X requires Y - Dependency chain relationships (traced to terminal failure)
• does not belong to a distupgrade repository - Filtered update dependency gaps (--security/--advisory)
• cannot install both X and Y - Version conflicts between old and new packages
• cannot install the best update candidate - Victims of broken dependency chains
• obsoletes - Package replacement relationships
• module+el version strings - DNF module stream conflicts (RHEL 8/9)
• Repository queries via yum whatprovides (with --run-queries) - Available package versions

Issue Types

Type	Root Cause	Typical Fix
modular_conflict	Installed package pins module stream	dnf module reset or remove blocker
version_pin_blocker	Installed package with no update holds back others	Remove the blocker, then update
filtered_dependency_gap	--security/--advisory excludes needed deps	Update deps separately, then retry
missing_dependency	Required package not in any enabled repo	Enable repo or install missing dep
circular_dependency	Packages must upgrade together	dnf update --allowerasing
blocked_update	Best candidate can't install	Check excludes, version locks

Package Version Mismatch Analysis (cleanup_analyzer.sh)

When to Use

When you encounter:

• DNF segfaults during transaction check
• 100s or 1000s of package-cleanup --problems
• Version mismatches between packages and their subpackages
• System showing signs of interrupted/partial updates

Quick Start

# Get the problems
package-cleanup --problems > cleanup_problems.txt

# Analyze them
./cleanup_analyzer.sh cleanup_problems.txt

# Review the report
cat cleanup_analysis.log

Output

The tool identifies:

• Critical packages with version mismatches (rpm, glibc, systemd, etc.)
• Package families with split versions
• Root cause of the version chaos
• Recommended fix strategy with exact commands

Example output:

CRITICAL: The following core packages are affected:
  • rpm
  • systemd
  • glibc

==== OPTION 1: Nuclear Reinstall (RECOMMENDED) ====
# Download and force-reinstall core packages
mkdir -p /tmp/recovery
dnf download --destdir=/tmp/recovery rpm rpm-libs systemd systemd-libs...
rpm -Uvh --force --nodeps /tmp/recovery/glibc*.rpm
...

Real-World Scenario

This tool was created to handle a system with 948 package problems causing DNF to segfault. The analysis identified:

• RPM version mismatch (rpm-4.16.1.3-29 vs python3-rpm-4.16.1.3-37)
• Multiple glibc versions installed simultaneously
• Systemd split between 252-32 and 252-51
• Cascading failures in 100+ packages

Why One Log File?

• Simpler - Everything in one place, no juggling multiple files
• Complete - Full context and analysis together
• Portable - Easy to share the entire analysis
• Clean stdout - Shows only what you need to act on immediately