On a CentOS 4.1 machine yum 2.2 takes 20-30 seconds everytime I use it like this:
#yum update xchat
Setting up Update Process
Setting up Repos
dag 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
update 100% |=========================| 951 B 00:00
base 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
contrib 100% |=========================| 951 B 00:00
addons 100% |=========================| 951 B 00:00
extras 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
Reading repository metadata in from local files
dag : ################################################## 2669/2669
update : ################################################## 75/75
base : ################################################## 1406/1406
extras : ################################################## 30/30
Could not find update match for xchat
No Packages marked for Update/Obsoletion
# yum --version
2.2.2
On a RHEL 3.3AS machine yum takes mere seconds like this:
# yum update xchat
Gathering header information file(s) from server(s)
Server: RedHat Enterprise Linux Base RPMs 3AS/i386
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
No Packages Available for Update
No actions to take
# yum --version
2.0.5