Package update error - "rpmdb open failed"

Symptoms

When trying to update the packages on the system, you may encounter the following error:

yum update
mut_tas:172, pid: 581778, flag: 19
error: db5 error(-30973) from dbenv->failchk: BDB0087 DB_RUNRECOVERY: Fatal error, run database recovery
error: cannot open Packages index using db5 -  (-30973)
error: cannot open Packages database in /var/lib/rpm
CRITICAL:yum.main:

Error: rpmdb open failed

Description 

The error indicates a problem with the machine's RPM database. While the cPanel & WHM software does not manage this, we still depend on the update procedure to work correctly for many tools, including EasyApache4.

Workaround

To resolve this issue, you will need to rebuild the RPM database. Rebuilding can be done through the WHM interface "Home / Software / Rebuild RPM Database"  tool.

How to repair an RPM database

If the RPM database has been successfully rebuilt, the EasyApache 4 interface and the yum or dnf commands should now function correctly on your system. If issues persist after the rebuild, you should contact a system administrator, as the operating system may require manual intervention to restore full functionality.

Additional Resources

Rebuild RPM Database