Every time you use yum to install and/or update packages, it logs to /var/log/yum.log
. A lot of people don't want to rotate the file a lot as they believe (incorrectly) that it is their only source to the history of their yum tasks. They may even believe that it provides a way to restore your rpm database if it gets corrupted - it does not.
I do recommend keeping your complete yum history as it doesn't grow a lot, unless you reinstall packages a lot.
For a rich interface to your yum history, I suggest you use yum history.
By default, your yum log file is rotated yearly, and even then, it only rotates if the size of your log file exceeds 30 KB, and your logs are only kept for 4 years. Usually, this is enough in the physical world as physical servers tend to be replaced every 3-4 years. However, virtual servers have the potential to stay "alive" beyond these 3-4 years.
Modify /etc/logrotate.d/yum
to the following:
/var/log/yum.log { missingok notifempty size 30k rotate 1000 yearly create 0600 root root }
This configuration will only rotate the yum log when it exceeds 30 KB in size on a yearly basis, and it will keep 1000 rotated logs, which is basically log files for 1000 years!