Excluding redhat-* files prevents the release information from being updated e.g. it still thinks it's 5.3 .
yum update --exclude=kernel --exclude='redhat-*'
So when I did the yum update (I have only 5.4 not 5.5). I ended up with a lsb_release command that says:
LSB Version: :core-3.1-ia32:core-3.1-noarch:graphics-3.1-ia32:graphics-3.1-noarch
Distributor ID: RedHatEnterpriseServer
Description: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 5.3 (Tikanga)
Release: 5.3
Codename: Tikanga
openssh-server-4.3p2-36.el5 (from 5.4)
rather than the openssh-server-4.3p2-29.el5.i386.rpm
Personally I'm with Ignacio on upgrading the whole thing. I think you will need to to a bit of digging into what those packages provide and decide whether or not it's safe to exclude them. If your customer is that keen on what the NSA thinks then this might not get by them.
Excluding
redhat-*
files prevents the release information from being updated e.g. it still thinks it's 5.3 .So when I did the
yum update
(I have only 5.4 not 5.5). I ended up with alsb_release
command that says:openssh-server-4.3p2-36.el5 (from 5.4)
rather than the
openssh-server-4.3p2-29.el5.i386.rpm
from 5.3
These are the packages that would be excluded:
Personally I'm with Ignacio on upgrading the whole thing. I think you will need to to a bit of digging into what those packages provide and decide whether or not it's safe to exclude them. If your customer is that keen on what the NSA thinks then this might not get by them.