Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Sascha Silbe]

Excerpts from Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.'s message of Tue Oct 12 19:15:49 +0200 
2010:

[commands for restoring the packages that were installed on an old system]
> Excellent list of commands!  It satisfies OR'd dependencies the same way your 
> old system did, and restores the "automatically installed" flag, and moves 
> over your debconf stuff, too!

The credit for the parts I posted belongs to the original author, Mark
Roth.

> It would be nice to see how you generated all those files, too.

D'oh, left that part off in the hurry. This time I'll just attach both
scripts. They are not yet complete (e.g. file based backup / restore is
missing and even though the restore commands are shipped in the form of
a script they actually need to be executed manually because there's some
stuff missing in the middle) and not fully tested, so use them at your
own peril.

Sascha

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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

On Wednesday 13 October 2010 03:30:38 s. keeling wrote:
> Lisi :
> >  I think I'll give it one more try using your link and any tips
> >  other people have given me by then, and if I still can't do it I'll
> >  just install normally.
>
> No offense meant,

None taken!  Thanks for the reply.

> but wrong attitude.  I've been saying this since 
> ca. '97: try again.  The more installs you try, the more you learn
> about the box and the more you know of what you need to know.  You
> learn more about the installer and its capabilities, and what software
> you want/like/dislike.  FFS, it's fun doing it, because you KNOW it's
> eventually going to work, no matter how bleeding edge is your
> hardware.
>
> Or, at least that's been my experience.  Have fun with it man.  Bang
> your head on the wall until it falls over!

This is my usual policy/habit - frequently seen by others as a character 
flaw ;-).  But the owner of the box had already asked me to give up trying to 
save his old box :-(, and I have to get this new one to him in the near 
future or his (not my!) patience will run out. 

> Worst case, burn a backup first, then re-install.

:-)

Lisi


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SOLVED was: Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 14:47:56 Lisi wrote:
> I was starting to see arrows pointing every which way!  So I have
> temporarily shelved the problem.  I'll come back to it later.

I was obviously doing something wrong - it is installing as I speak.  Thanks  
for all the help.

Camaleón's link worked well this morning!  


I obviously needed a break.

So PEBKAC after all. :-(

Lisi


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Angus Hedger]

On Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:30:38 + (UTC)
"s. keeling"  wrote:
> No offense meant, but wrong attitude.  I've been saying this since
> ca. '97: try again.  The more installs you try, the more you learn
> about the box and the more you know of what you need to know.  You
> learn more about the installer and its capabilities, and what software
> you want/like/dislike.  FFS, it's fun doing it, because you KNOW it's
> eventually going to work, no matter how bleeding edge is your
> hardware.

The best way to truly know how something works it to totally break it
then have to fix it ;) 

> Or, at least that's been my experience.  Have fun with it man.  Bang
> your head on the wall until it falls over!
> 
> Worst case, burn a backup first, then re-install.
> 
> Sheesh.  :-)
> 
> 



--
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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[s. keeling]

Lisi :
> 
>  I think I'll give it one more try using your link and any tips
>  other people have given me by then, and if I still can't do it I'll
>  just install normally.

No offense meant, but wrong attitude.  I've been saying this since
ca. '97: try again.  The more installs you try, the more you learn
about the box and the more you know of what you need to know.  You
learn more about the installer and its capabilities, and what software
you want/like/dislike.  FFS, it's fun doing it, because you KNOW it's
eventually going to work, no matter how bleeding edge is your
hardware.

Or, at least that's been my experience.  Have fun with it man.  Bang
your head on the wall until it falls over!

Worst case, burn a backup first, then re-install.

Sheesh.  :-)


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[s. keeling]

Lisi :
> 
>  Thanks, Camaleón.  I get nervous when the computer I am working on does not 
>  belong to me!!

Prudent thinking.  Especially when you're logged in as root (walking
around with lit sticks of dynamite in each hand).

Plan.  Research.  Backups!  Try plan on a disposable sandbox.  Rinse,
repeat, ...


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.]

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 08:00:10 Sascha Silbe wrote:
> Excerpts from Lisi's message of Tue Oct 12 13:05:50 +0200 2010:
> > #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> > #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
> 
> FWIW, this is what I used (based on [1]):
> 
> dpkg --clear-selections
> dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections-installed.state
> debconf-set-selections < debconf.state
> xargs -r -- aptitude markauto -y --schedule-only \
> < autoinstalled-packages.list
> aptitude install -y

Excellent list of commands!  It satisfies OR'd dependencies the same way your 
old system did, and restores the "automatically installed" flag, and moves 
over your debconf stuff, too!

It would be nice to see how you generated all those files, too.

I assume dpkg-selections-installed.state is from dpkg --get-selections, 
possibly filtered through grep.

I'm guessing debconf.state is generated from debconf-get-selections from the 
debconf-utils package (which is not, IIRC, installed by default on Debian 
systems).  Be sure to run this command as root if you want to capture 
"password" fields from debconf.

I'd think autoinstalled-packages.list comes from an aptitude or modern apt-
search run.  There's probably some required command-line options when using 
aptitude to prevent it from truncating package names.

> [1]  de...@lists.alioth.debian.org/msg00329.html>

Probably a good read, but I didn't visit the thread myself.
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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[B. Alexander]

Hmmm. I've used this method several times before, in fact it is my primary
way of building machines.

On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 7:05 AM, Lisi  wrote:

> I am installing on a new box.  I have copied the installed_packages.txt
> from
> the old box onto a CD.  (I am physically 10 miles away from the old box)
>
> I am failing in using teh list to install.  I navigated to /media/cdrom0,
> then
> did
>
> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
>
> After the first, the system complained that the file is read only.  But I
> only
> want to read it, surely?  And after the second command 0 files were
> installed!
>

Are you sure it wasn't just letting you know that you were reading from
read-only media? The other option would be to copy the file from
/media/cdrom0 to /root and do your --set-selections from there. But it
really shouldn't matter.

As for the second, I have never used the -u. And according to the apt-get
man page:

   -u, --show-upgraded
   Show upgraded packages; Print out a list of all packages that are
   to be upgraded. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Show-Upgraded.

As other posters have suggested, try running it without the -u.

--b

Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 14:00:10 Sascha Silbe wrote:
> Excerpts from Lisi's message of Tue Oct 12 13:05:50 +0200 2010:
> > #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> > #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
>
> FWIW, this is what I used (based on [1]):
>
>
> dpkg --clear-selections
> dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections-installed.state
> debconf-set-selections < debconf.state
> xargs -r -- aptitude markauto -y --schedule-only <
> autoinstalled-packages.list aptitude install -y
>
>
> Sascha
>
> [1]
> http://www.mail-archive.com/aptitude-de...@lists.alioth.debian.org/msg00329
>.html --
> http://sascha.silbe.org/
> http://www.infra-silbe.de/

Thanks, Sascha.  It is no longer viable to go back to the original machine in 
this particular case - but I shall keep this info for next time!

Lisi


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 14:14:00 Camaleón wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:27:55 +0100, Lisi wrote:
> >> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> >
> > went fine. :-)
> >
> > But
> >
> >> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
> >
> > runs, but doesn't install anything. :-(  I must still be doing something
> > wrong.
>
> Dunno :-?
>
> This article shows the same path you are following:
>
> Copying Debian package selections to a new machine
> http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/copying_debian_package_selectio
>ns_new_machine
>
> Let's wait someone in the know can provide you any tip :-)

I was starting to see arrows pointing every which way!  So I have temporarily 
shelved the problem.  I'll come back to it later.

I think I'll give it one more try using your link and any tips other people 
have given me by then, and if I still can't do it I'll just install normally.

Thanks for the help.

Lisi


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Camaleón]

On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:27:55 +0100, Lisi wrote:

>> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> 
> went fine. :-)
> 
> But
>> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
> 
> runs, but doesn't install anything. :-(  I must still be doing something
> wrong.

Dunno :-?

This article shows the same path you are following:

Copying Debian package selections to a new machine
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/copying_debian_package_selections_new_machine

Let's wait someone in the know can provide you any tip :-)

Greetings,

-- 
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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Sascha Silbe]

Excerpts from Lisi's message of Tue Oct 12 13:05:50 +0200 2010:

> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

FWIW, this is what I used (based on [1]):


dpkg --clear-selections
dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections-installed.state
debconf-set-selections < debconf.state
xargs -r -- aptitude markauto -y --schedule-only < autoinstalled-packages.list
aptitude install -y


Sascha

[1] 
http://www.mail-archive.com/aptitude-de...@lists.alioth.debian.org/msg00329.html
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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Mihira Fernando]

 On 10/12/2010 05:57 PM, Lisi wrote:


But

#apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

runs, but doesn't install anything. :-(  I must still be doing something
wrong.

Lisi


Isnt that supposed to be :

#apt-get dselect-upgrade

Without the -u ?


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt

went fine. :-)

But 
> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

runs, but doesn't install anything. :-(  I must still be doing something 
wrong.

Lisi



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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 12:54:01 Camaleón wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:05:50 +0100, Lisi wrote:
> > I am installing on a new box.  I have copied the installed_packages.txt
> > from the old box onto a CD.  (I am physically 10 miles away from the old
> > box)
> >
> > I am failing in using teh list to install.  I navigated to
> > /media/cdrom0, then did
> >
> > #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt #apt-get -u
> > dselect-upgrade
> >
> > After the first, the system complained that the file is read only.  But
> > I only want to read it, surely?  And after the second command 0 files
> > were installed!
> >
> > I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the
> > permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to
> > find it?
> >
> > Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?
>
> I can't tell why:
>
> - it complains about being read-only (we all know cd-r are read only
> media)
> - does not perform any action
>
> :-)
>
> But I'm quite sure you can copy "installed_packages.txt" and put it
> elsewhere in your system and run the same command (no need to modify its
> perms), i.e.:
>
> cp /media/cdrom0/installed_packages.txt /home/lisi/Desktop
> dpkg --set-selections < /home/lisi/Desktop/installed_packages.txt
> ...
>
> Greetings,
>
> --
> Camaleón

Thanks, Camaleón.  I get nervous when the computer I am working on does not 
belong to me!!

Lisi
 


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Re: --set-selections - help needed to use this

[Camaleón]

On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:05:50 +0100, Lisi wrote:

> I am installing on a new box.  I have copied the installed_packages.txt
> from the old box onto a CD.  (I am physically 10 miles away from the old
> box)
> 
> I am failing in using teh list to install.  I navigated to
> /media/cdrom0, then did
> 
> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt #apt-get -u
> dselect-upgrade
> 
> After the first, the system complained that the file is read only.  But
> I only want to read it, surely?  And after the second command 0 files
> were installed!
> 
> I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the
> permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to
> find it?
> 
> Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?

I can't tell why:

- it complains about being read-only (we all know cd-r are read only 
media)
- does not perform any action

:-)

But I'm quite sure you can copy "installed_packages.txt" and put it 
elsewhere in your system and run the same command (no need to modify its 
perms), i.e.: 

cp /media/cdrom0/installed_packages.txt /home/lisi/Desktop
dpkg --set-selections < /home/lisi/Desktop/installed_packages.txt
...

Greetings,

-- 
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--set-selections - help needed to use this

[Lisi]

I am installing on a new box.  I have copied the installed_packages.txt from 
the old box onto a CD.  (I am physically 10 miles away from the old box)

I am failing in using teh list to install.  I navigated to /media/cdrom0, then 
did

#dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
#apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

After the first, the system complained that the file is read only.  But I only 
want to read it, surely?  And after the second command 0 files were 
installed!

I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the 
permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to find 
it?

Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?

Lisi


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