Hello Debian Community,

I use Mepis 3.43. It is debian based. Lately, I have had trouble with the following repo:

ftp://ftp.us.debian.org

I assume it is a debian repo, which is why I am posting here instead of the Mepis forum.

Could someone tell me if this repo is having trouble? Specifically, when I attempt to install VMware Server, this is one of the repos my computer goes after. It gets some, but not all, of the stuff from that repo.

As an example, it will successfully "fetch" or "open" some packages, but it fails on other packages. Here are 2 examples I copied and pasted from Konsole:

Err ftp://ftp.us.debian.org etch/main g++-4.0 4.0.3-7
Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file. ' [IP: 128.101.240.212 21]

and

Failed to fetch ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/....0.3-7_all.deb Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file. ' [IP: 128.101.240.212 21]
E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing?
root@1[cat1978]#

Does anyone know what is going on? It is always the same debian repo: ftp://ftp.us.debian.org

I look forward to your replies. Thanks!

did you gave it a second try? This can happen if you try to fetch a file that is being uploaded to the repo at the same time.

Does Mepis not have its own repos? Perhaps you should use theirs and post on a Mepis forum?

Mepis uses debian and mepis repositories.

Right now not a single repository works for me! Seems Debian has crashed. I've tried Unstable, Etch (and Testing). Nothing works. I thought it was my connection, but files from other sites download just fine.

Edit:
My satellite modem was (very strangely) discriminating in the file types it was downloading, so I had to power cycle it.

Yes, I will try it a 2nd time today or in a few days. I have heard that sometimes you have to play "server tag" when updating linux.

Assume I succeeded in downloading some (but obviously not all) of the packages in question. Now, if I run the same apt-get command to get the packages I missed, would my computer fall apart because it is getting some of the same packages it already got from last time?

I'll post my results here once I have time to attempt a 2nd apt-get run.

And....Thanks for everyone's replies!

I'm having no such problems. I usually am suspicious of people using Debian derivatives who claim that Debian repositories should work for them. I'm sure that in some cases they do, but when problems arise, I think it's unlikely to be a Debian problem.

Little dangerous doing that I'd say. Sure it may work if you're lucky but I see nothing but a blown up system doing that in their future.

Ya if mepis was unbuntu,I'd say it would be dangerous.

Wait,isnt mepis going the commercial and unbuntu route?


Some debian based distros are pretty much pure debian and use there own repositories for tweaked pakages that play with all the debian pakages,add there own scripts,etc etc.Kanotix was one Sidux is a new debian based distro that will follow strictly in the unstable catagory,Sidux has it's own repository,doesn't mean it will break debian or be dangerous,heck,people put a dozen or so different addresses in there source.list and don't have problems.

ironwalker:

Currently Mepis 6+ uses Ubuntu repos...or at least Ubuntu based repos. Everything lower than version 6 uses Debian repos or Debian based distros....I use 3.43 and I think "etch" is what I'm tapping by default.

Why would it be dangerous if Mepis were going the commercial / ubuntu route? Is there something flawed in Ubuntu repos?

Ubuntu is not debian...............just based on debian.Useing debian repos with anybuntu's breaks it.
As does useing buntus' with debian.

I'll consider this issue resolved....thanks to everyone.