updating using RPM on RedHat

I installed Squid from the RPMs when I installed RedHat (using
2.2.STABLE1 which was available for the ftp RedHat install at
http://metalab.unc.edu at the time.) I also downloaded the source
code so I could build the ncsa_auth program. I would like to keep my
installation current and prefer to use RPMs.

If I upgrade using RPM will everything in my /etc/squid/squid.conf
be preserved and continue to be used or do I have to back things up
and then restore them? Has anyone set up a script to use the rpmfind
program to automatically check for an update? When I ran rpmfind it
found STABLE4, but it didn't find STABLE5. Is there an official RPM
site for the latest release?

Is there any advantage or disadvantage between using the tarball and
the RPM. I know, for example, MySQL says to use the RPM binary
distribution if possible for best performance. Is there and easy
script or make file setting so that the code goes to the same place
regardless? Right now I have everything in /usr and /etc from the
RPM. The tarball wants everything in /usr/local. I am sure that if I
manually went through and tried to make sure all the references to
/usr/local/squid/etc were switched to /etc/squid I would screw it up
completely by missing some. For me this is another reason to stick
with the RPM.

-- 
Josh Kuperman                       josh@saratoga.lib.ny.us
Saratoga Springs Public Library     phone (518) 584-7860 x 211
49 Henry St                         fax   (518) 584-7866
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866