Hi,

the python 3.9 packages have a a dependency on the samba packages which is a no go. samba is not desired on every lpar and if it is already

install should not be touched/upgraded without thinking please resolve this.

root@aixtest01: /root # dnf update dnf python3
Last metadata expiration check: 6:35:03 ago on Thu Jun 22 04:01:29 CEST 2023.
Dependencies resolved.
=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
 Package                                                          Architecture                                   Version                                                     Repository                                                 Size
=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
Installing:
 python3-idle                                                     ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               7.1 k
     replacing  python3-tools.ppc 3.7.15-2
 python3.7                                                        ppc                                            3.7.16-1                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                                40 M
     replacing  python3-docs.ppc 3.7.15-2
Upgrading:
 gpgme                                                            ppc                                            1.13.1-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                               518 k
 libcomps                                                         ppc                                            0.1.15-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                               622 k
 libsmbclient                                                     ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                                93 k
 python3                                                          ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               8.7 k
     replacing  python3-docs.ppc 3.7.15-2
 python3-devel                                                    ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               7.5 k
     replacing  python3-tools.ppc 3.7.15-2
 python3-gpg                                                      ppc                                            1.13.1-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                               7.1 k
 python3-libcomps                                                 ppc                                            0.1.15-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                                15 k
 python3-test                                                     ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               6.1 k
 samba                                                            ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               2.0 M
 samba-client                                                     ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               499 k
 samba-common                                                     ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               9.5 M
 samba-devel                                                      ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               266 k
 samba-libs                                                       ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               1.9 M
 samba-winbind                                                    ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               503 k
 samba-winbind-clients                                            ppc                                            4.16.8-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               128 k
 dnf                                                              ppc                                            4.2.17-64_53                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                             11 k
 dnf-automatic                                                    ppc                                            4.2.17-64_53                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                             12 k
 dnf-data                                                         ppc                                            4.2.17-64_53                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                             24 k
 libdnf                                                           ppc                                            0.39.1-64_52                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                            2.3 M
 libsolv                                                          ppc                                            0.7.9-64_51                                                 AIX_Toolbox_73                                            545 k
 python3-dnf                                                      ppc                                            4.2.17-64_53                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                            8.1 k
 python3-hawkey                                                   ppc                                            0.39.1-64_52                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                             23 k
 python3-libdnf                                                   ppc                                            0.39.1-64_52                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                             23 k
 rpm-python3                                                      ppc                                            4.15.1-64_3                                                 AIX_Toolbox_73                                            9.4 k
Installing dependencies:
 fontconfig                                                       ppc                                            2.11.95-4                                                   AIX_Toolbox                                               1.4 M
 freetype2                                                        ppc                                            2.12.1-1                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               2.4 M
 libXft                                                           ppc                                            2.3.2-4waixX11                                              AIX_Toolbox                                               719 k
 libXrender                                                       ppc                                            0.9.8-3waixX11                                              AIX_Toolbox                                               225 k
 libpng                                                           ppc                                            1.6.37-1                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               487 k
 python3-tkinter                                                  ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               6.0 k
 python3.9                                                        ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                                43 M
 python3.9-devel                                                  ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               9.9 M
 python3.9-gpg                                                    ppc                                            1.13.1-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                               1.7 M
 python3.9-idle                                                   ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               2.2 M
 python3.9-libcomps                                               ppc                                            0.1.15-101                                                  AIX_Toolbox                                               589 k
 python3.9-test                                                   ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                                31 M
 python3.9-tkinter                                                ppc                                            3.9.16-2                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               1.3 M
 tcl                                                              ppc                                            8.6.11-1                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               5.2 M
 tk                                                               ppc                                            8.6.11-1                                                    AIX_Toolbox                                               2.6 M
 python3.9-dnf                                                    ppc                                            4.2.17-64_53                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                            193 k
 python3.9-hawkey                                                 ppc                                            0.39.1-64_52                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                            427 k
 python3.9-libdnf                                                 ppc                                            0.39.1-64_52                                                AIX_Toolbox_73                                            2.3 M
 rpm-python3.9                                                    ppc                                            4.15.1-64_3                                                 AIX_Toolbox_73                                             98 k

Transaction Summary
=============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
Install  21 Packages
Upgrade  24 Packages

Total download size: 165 M
Is this ok [y/N]: n

Samba don't install automatically while upgrading python3 or python3-related packages. But if the system has samba already installed, then updating python3 to python3.9 automatically updates Samba because the older samba depends on "/opt/freeware/bin/python3_32" which was available only when python3.7 is the default python3. So dnf automatically updates Samba to newer version to resolve this problem. 

Do you have any specific reasons to use the older samba version ? 

we have a wild mixup of thousands of windows clients with every thinkable iteration of windows with numerous awkward dependencies of specific SMB protocol versions that uses the samba shares, so upgrading  samba is not easy as it seems.

Okay. The problem is all these packages which depends on python were using the default python3. So any change in the default python3 affects these packages. This is taken care now as the new packages uses specific python3 version "/opt/freeware/bin/python3.9" or "/opt/freeware/libexec/python3.9_32". So any change in the default python3 version will not affect these packages in the future.