Re: [SLUG] apt-database

2013-11-08 Thread Jiří Baum
Hi James Linder wrote:,

> I have a customer who has indulged in extreme stupid stuff.
...
> So I want to scrap and rebuild the package database.
...
> Is there any sane (telling him to manually edit the status file is
> not sane!) way to recover?

It may not be sane, but it's probably better than trying to "scrap and
rebuild" the package database... I'm not even sure that's a thing, much
less a sane thing.

You don't even need to edit much in there, just go to the x11vnc package
and take x11vnc-data out of the Depends / Recommends line (and possibly
vice versa as well). Once you break the loop, dpkg and even apt will
start working again. You can then use them to --reinstall the packages
that are broken.


Jiri
-- 
Jiří Baum 
Sabik Software Solutions Pty Ltd
0413 183 117
http://www.baum.com.au/sabik
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Re: [SLUG] apt-database

2013-11-08 Thread Michael Chesterton
On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 10:21 PM, James Linder  wrote:

> Hi
> I have a customer who has indulged in extreme stupid stuff.
>
> > root@bol04:/home/stm# dpkg -r x11vnc x11vncdata
> > dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching x11vnc
> > dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching x11vncdata
>
> but
>
> The following packages have unmet dependencies:
> x11vnc : Depends: x11vnc-data (= 0.9.12-1build1) but 0.9.13-1.1 is to be
> installed
> E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
>

held broken packages? I'm not sure what that means exactly, if it means they
were held manually, unhold them I would suggest.

I haven't fixed a broken debian package system for a while, but first I
would
disable any third party sources, then apt-get update.

if
dpkg --get-selections | grep 'hold$'
is blank, then try

apt-get -f install

also,

dpkg remove --force-depends somepackage
apt-get -f install

force depends to fix a broken system is fine, it's just not fine to use it
to install a package
on a working system though. (hello red hat of old)


> So I want to scrap and rebuild the package database. All my googling says
> 'you don't really want to do that'
> I do!
> all the --set-selections etc options don't do anything for me
>
>
set selections doesn't change any packages immediately, you then have to
run something to have
the selections acted on, it used to be dselect, I'm not sure what it is
today.


> Short of suggesting he climb to the top of the tower, dagga clenched
> between teeth ...
> Is there any sane (telling him to manually edit the status file is not
> sane!) way to recover?
>

you can probably fix it with dpkg and apt commands.
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[SLUG] apt-database

2013-11-08 Thread James Linder
Hi
I have a customer who has indulged in extreme stupid stuff.

> root@bol04:/home/stm# dpkg -r x11vnc x11vncdata
> dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching x11vnc
> dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching x11vncdata

but

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
x11vnc : Depends: x11vnc-data (= 0.9.12-1build1) but 0.9.13-1.1 is to be 
installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

So I want to scrap and rebuild the package database. All my googling says 'you 
don't really want to do that' 
I do!
all the --set-selections etc options don't do anything for me

Short of suggesting he climb to the top of the tower, dagga clenched between 
teeth ...
Is there any sane (telling him to manually edit the status file is not sane!) 
way to recover?

James
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