e2fsprogs blocking apt-get

nalmeth · 09-10-2005, 07:33 PM

I have been having problems apt-get installing programs lately, and everytime I run into this:

E: This installation run will require temporarily removing the essential package e2fsprogs due to a Conflicts/Pre-Depends loop. This is often bad, but if you really want to do it, activate the APT::Force-LoopBreak option.
E: Internal Error, Could not early remove e2fsprogs

I have tried apt-get update, upgrade, and install e2fsprogs and I still can't get past this.
Can anybody tell me how to "activate the APT::Force-LoopBreak option"? Or if there is another way around?

BTW
Has anyone tried 3ddesktop? This is something I've been trying to get.. Looks cool

Dead Parrot · 09-12-2005, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Can anybody tell me how to "activate the APT::Force-LoopBreak option"?

You can create /etc/apt/apt.conf and set it there. The man page for apt.conf warns about this, though:

Quote:

Force-LoopBreak
Never Enable this option unless you -really- know what you are doing. It permits APT to temporarily remove an essential package to break a Conflicts/Conflicts or Conflicts/Pre-Depend loop between two essential packages. SUCH A LOOP SHOULD NEVER EXIST AND IS A GRAVE BUG. This option will work if the essential packages are not tar, gzip, libc, dpkg, bash or anything that those packages depend on.

I'd recommend that you disable this Force-LoopBreak option as soon as you've got the dpkg problem straightened out. Good luck!

spade78 · 09-15-2005, 11:51 PM

I was having the same problem trying to install various packages (samba and cvs). This issue is posted on the Debian Bug Report logs here: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=325834

The last couple of items in the bug log seems to indicate that the issues with e2fsprogs seems to be related to which versions of certain packages are installed. From the log:

Quote:

> The next thing I'd think of is to upgrade various packages to their stable version,
> to try to find out which package upgrade unblocks the issue.
> OK, I'll just do that now and let you know about the outcome...
As I said, I'm pretty sure that the problem is not with e2fsprogs,
because its conflicts and predepends requirements are quite
unremarkable:

Pre-Depends: e2fslibs (= 1.38-2), libblkid1 (>= 1.34-1), libc6 (>= 2.3.5-1), libcomerr2 (>= 1.34-1), libss2 (>= 1.34-1), libuuid1 (>= 1.34-1)
Conflicts: dump (<< 0.4b4-4), quota (<< 1.55-8.1), initscripts (<< 2.85-4), sysvinit (<< 2.85-4)

Once you remove the internal packages, what you end up with is:

Pre-Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3.5-1)
Conflicts: dump (<< 0.4b4-4), quota (<< 1.55-8.1), initscripts (<< 2.85-4), sysvinit (<< 2.85-4)

The log ends with them trying to track down the offending package by reverting or upgrading all the packages listed above to stable one by one, least that's what I got out of it.

So I decided to try that myself and started upgrading files to their current stable versions one by one and seeing what happens. The command

Code:

apt-get -t stable install package

will install packages only from the stable source tree which in this case is Sarge. You may want to simulate each install with the --simulate switch before each install just to make sure it doesn't do anything unexpected.

I upgraded sysvinit, initscripts, and e2fsprogs this way (I didn't have quota, dump, and libc6 was already at the testing version). I did them one by one and tried to install what I was originally trying to install after each install. The install worked after e2fsprogs was updated to stable. I've installed another item that was erroring out with the e2fsprogs conflicts message earlier so I'm hopeful that updating the e2fsprogs package was what did the trick.

Hope this helps.

RanDrake10 · 09-25-2005, 08:13 AM

Don't know how safe this method is, but I did a "apt-get remove e2fsprogs" which removed sysvinit and initscripts also. Then did a "apt-get install e2fsprogs sysvinit initscripts". Rebooted and everything is still running good, also was able to apt-get upgrade without the error messages.

bstrathearn · 10-13-2005, 07:41 PM

nicknack · 11-11-2005, 10:51 PM

http://cryingwolf.net/archives/23-DE...oop-Break.html

NullDevice23 · 11-28-2005, 04:07 PM

Hi,

Im having the same problem with e2fsprogs, with exactly the same error message.
Now i did a

Code:

apt-get -o APT::Force-LoopBreak=yes install e2fsprogs

.. but the result was, after some actions:

Code:

Setting up lsb-base (3.0-11) ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of initscripts:
 initscripts depends on e2fsprogs (>= 1.19-1); however:
  Package e2fsprogs is not installed.
dpkg: error processing initscripts (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initscripts
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

So i tried to re-install e2fsprogs:

Code:

root@schild ~ # apt-get install e2fsprogs
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  e2fsprogs: PreDepends: e2fslibs (= 1.38-2) but it is not going to be installed
             Conflicts: sysvinit (< 2.85-4) but 2.84-2woody1 is to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

Ok, can someone PLEASE tell me what i could try. I don't wanna break that system (or did it already?)

nicknack · 11-28-2005, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NullDevice23
[B]Hi,

Im having the same problem with e2fsprogs, with exactly the same error message.
Now i did a

Code:

apt-get -o APT::Force-LoopBreak=yes install e2fsprogs

.. but the result was, after some actions:

Code:

Setting up lsb-base (3.0-11) ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of initscripts:
 initscripts depends on e2fsprogs (>= 1.19-1); however:
  Package e2fsprogs is not installed.
dpkg: error processing initscripts (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initscripts
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

So i tried to re-install e2fsprogs:

Package e2fsprogs is not installed ....
simply tells you that it hasn't been installed somehow..
or you might have a heavily mixed package versions from stable / testing / sid.
have you tried to use --reinstall options added as well ?

NullDevice23 · 11-28-2005, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nicknack
Package e2fsprogs is not installed ....
simply tells you that it hasn't been installed somehow..
or you might have a heavily mixed package versions from stable / testing / sid.
have you tried to use --reinstall options added as well ?

Then it says:

Code:

# apt-get install --reinstall e2fsprogs
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  e2fsprogs: PreDepends: e2fslibs (= 1.37-2sarge1) but it is not going to be installed
             Conflicts: sysvinit (< 2.85-4) but 2.84-2woody1 is to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

Any other ideas? ;-(

nicknack · 11-28-2005, 11:05 PM

I meant complete command line..
use the -o , and the --reinstall

but maybe u might want to do apt-get update first.

If I were you , I comment testing & sid first, apt-get update.

if it's not working, comment stable + sid, apt-get update.

well you gotta move somewhere instead having an apt-get-less debian machine

nicknack · 11-29-2005, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by NullDevice23
Then it says:

Code:

# apt-get install --reinstall e2fsprogs Reading Package Lists... Done Building Dependency Tree... Done You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these: The following packages have unmet dependencies: e2fsprogs: PreDepends: e2fslibs (= 1.37-2sarge1) but it is not going to be installed Conflicts: sysvinit (< 2.85-4) but 2.84-2woody1 is to be installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

Any other ideas? ;-(

UPDATE

I just run in to the same problem as you are when i update one of our gateways

here's what I did :

When I did apt-get, all those packages are already stored in

Code:

/var/cache/apt/archives/

- So i do :

Code:

cd /var/cache/apt/archives/;
apt-get --force-all -i sysv-rc* sysvinit*

- then re-do

Code:

apt-get -o APT::Force-Loopbreak=yes install e2fsprogs

Try it and let me know ..

vavoem · 11-29-2005, 08:00 AM

I get this exact same problem during install from net-inst.iso

NullDevice23 · 11-29-2005, 08:00 AM

hi Nicknack!

Code:

# apt-get --force-all -i sysv-rc* sysvinit*
E: Command line option --force-all is not understood

--force-all -i ? , are u sure it was that what u did?
im getting "E: Command line option --force-all is not understood".

nicknack · 11-29-2005, 08:08 AM

silly me...
sorry for that ..

i meant dpkg --force-all

NullDevice23 · 11-29-2005, 08:49 AM

Code:

dpkg --force-all -i sysv-rc* sysvinit*

OK, this ran through without any problems.

But then i do

Code:

apt-get -o APT::Force-Loopbreak=yes install e2fsprogs

and i get

Code:

# apt-get -o APT::Force-Loopbreak=yes install e2fsprogs
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  e2fsprogs: PreDepends: e2fslibs (= 1.37-2sarge1) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).