>> I don't see an option in rpm itself that extracts
  >> the information "if you want to upgrade x, then,
  >> you'll also have to upgrade w, y, and z."

  hans> * Pay for their upgrade service.
  hans> * Mirror the dist and write your own dependency checker.
  hans> * Write something that automagically, recursively grabs dependencies.
  hans> * Port rpm-get to RH and get mirror sites to support it.
  hans> * Move to a dist such as debian, SuSE or Mandrake that has dependency
  hans> checking upgrade tools.

The last one is probably my best option. I'm inclined
to believe that Debian is the best distro out there.
However, I started a long time ago with RH, and if the
maxim that once it's installed it's all the same is
true (which I believe it essentially is), then there's
little reason to go to a different distro, because then
I'd also want to back up my customized stuff and my
home directory, wipe the disk, and start from scratch.
The prospect of doing that is just too scary now that
I'm working only at home and without the army of
technical geeks surrounding me I used to have at my
disposal. The potential for catastrophic failure is
immense.

Having said that, I'd like to do it anyhow.

I tried Mandrake once under VMware. Hated it.

'nuff said.

-- 
Lynn David Newton
Phoenix, AZ