[Yum] python crashes after what looks like running out of memory

[Lancashire, Pete]

just went to see what updates would go with my fedora
fc5t2 box and yum now seems to run out memory.

# yum --version
Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Running "config" handler for "installonlyn" plugin
2.5.1

#python -V
Python 2.4.2

#uname -a
Linux ossinfo.city 2.6.15-1.1884_FC5smp #1 SMP Mon Jan 30 18:18:13 EST 2006
i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

#cat fedora-release 
Fedora Core release 4.91 (Pre-FC5) (Fedora fc5t2 updated to about Jan 30)

if one deletes contents of /var/cache/yum

[root at ossinfo cache]# yum -y --exclude=* update
Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Running "config" handler for "installonlyn" plugin
Yum Version: 2.5.1
COMMAND: yum 
Installroot: /
Setting up Update Process
Setting up repositories
developmen: #########################                          1/2Baseurl(s)
for repo: ['http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fed...
development               100% |=========================| 1.1 kB    00:00

extras-dev: ################################################## 2/2
Baseurl(s) for repo: ['http://download.fed....
extras-development        100% |=========================| 1.1 kB    00:00

Reading repository metadata in from local files
Setting up Package Sacks
primary.xml.gz            100% |=========================| 1.2 MB    00:11

at this point yum will start to use up all the RAM in the box (2GB) then a
good
chunck of Swap then about 5 mins later ..

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/yum", line 29, in ?
    yummain.main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "/usr/share/yum-cli/yummain.py", line 97, in main
    result, resultmsgs = do()
  File "/usr/share/yum-cli/cli.py", line 471, in doCommands
    return self.updatePkgs()
  File "/usr/share/yum-cli/cli.py", line 947, in updatePkgs
    self.doRepoSetup()
  File "/usr/share/yum-cli/cli.py", line 74, in doRepoSetup
    self.doSackSetup(thisrepo=thisrepo)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/__init__.py", line 285, in
doSackSetup
    self.repos.populateSack(which=repos)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/repos.py", line 288, in
populateSack
    dobj = repo.cacheHandler.getPrimary(xml, csum)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 96, in
getPrimary
    return self._getbase(location, checksum, 'primary')
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 83, in
_getbase
    (db, dbchecksum) = self.getDatabase(location, metadatatype)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 79, in
getDatabase
    db = self.makeSqliteCacheFile(filename,cachetype)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 239, in
makeSqliteCacheFile
    self.createTablesPrimary(db)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 150, in
createTablesPrimary
    self.createDbInfo(cur)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/sqlitecache.py", line 188, in
createDbInfo
    cur.execute("""CREATE TABLE db_info (
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/sqlite/main.py", line 237, in
execute
    self.con._begin()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/sqlite/main.py", line 515, in
_begin
    self.db.execute("BEGIN")
MemoryError
no mem for new parser
Error in atexit._run_exitfuncs:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/atexit.py", line 24, in _run_exitfuncs
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/plugins.py", line 157, in run
MemoryError
Error in sys.exitfunc:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/atexit.py", line 24, in _run_exitfuncs
    func(*targs, **kargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/yum/plugins.py", line 157, in run
    conduitcls = eval(conduitcls)       # Convert name to class object
MemoryError

yum.conf and repo's are stock Fedora from the initial install

-pete