[BlueOnyx:10032] Conf files replaced by update

[Frank Soyer]

Hi list,
I have posted this problem some times ago, but I haven't received a 
answer clear enough. The case was repeated (and had spread) this last 
days, so I ask again for opinions.
First, I have a mail server in the sendmail config of which I have added 
some lines concerning spam and virus detection. The sendmail.cf and .mc 
are replaced each time sendmail is updated on the server. What seems 
strange to me is that I thought that yum was able to detect a modified 
config file and to not overwrite it...
Second, on some BO servers, my customers have requested the most recent 
version of PHP. As the BO webUI had some incompatibility with PHP 
5.3.xx, we have "isolated" it by moving the directories related to 
admserv, and modifying the pathes in /etc/admserv/php.ini and 
/etc/admserv/conf.d/php.conf/. Then we could install PHP 5.3 without 
overwrite the PHP 5.1 (5.2 ?) needed by the UI.

And 2 days ago, the "base-*" packages have been updated, and the 2 files 
overwritten..... Of course the UI broken on the servers having PHP5.3 
(error "Fatal error: Call to undefined function ccephp_new() in 
/usr/sausalito/ui/libPhp/CceClient.php on line 27"), and in the logs :
crack: Unable to initialize module\nModule compiled with module 
API=20050922\nPHP    compiled with module API=20090626\nThese options 
need to match\n in Unknown on line 0

Is there really no way to avoid this overwrites ?

Thank you for suggestions.
Frank