PUP Error

[Joe W. Byers]

I will have my server running for days and check the pup updater icon 
when I receive the following

Component: pirut
Summary: TB0e4166fe config.py:755:_getsysver:TypeError: rpmdb open failed

Traceback (most recent call last):
   File "/usr/sbin/pup", line 617, in ?
     main()
   File "/usr/sbin/pup", line 609, in main
     pup = PackageUpdater(not options.autoapply, options.config)
   File "/usr/sbin/pup", line 84, in __init__
     GraphicalYumBase.__init__(self, False, config)
   File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/pirut/__init__.py", line 137, 
in __init__
     plugin_types=(yum.plugins.TYPE_CORE,))
   File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/__init__.py", line 118, in 
doConfigSetup
     errorlevel=errorlevel)
   File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/__init__.py", line 164, in 
_getConfig
     self._conf = config.readMainConfig(startupconf)
   File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/config.py", line 685, in 
readMainConfig
     yumvars['releasever'] = _getsysver(startupconf.installroot, 
startupconf.distroverpkg)
   File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/config.py", line 755, in 
_getsysver
     idx = ts.dbMatch('provides', distroverpkg)
TypeError: rpmdb open failed

Local variables in innermost frame:
installroot: /
ts: <rpmUtils.transaction.TransactionWrapper instance at 0xa10634c>
distroverpkg: redhat-release


After restart I can run pup with any errors or problems.  Yum will also 
fail and will rpm -qa when this error occurs.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Joe