How can I restore apt-get ?

PlymWS · 08-31-2006, 11:53 AM

I was trying to install some DNS software on my Debian Sarge 3.1 box through SSH so I could set my server up as a nameserver and then bring a domain name to it.

I was following a tutorial elsewhere but have managed to 'break' apt-get. Whenever I try and apt-get anything now I get the following message :

Code:

DEB05:~# apt-get dist-upgrade
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:
  linux-image-2.6.15-1-486: Depends: initramfs-tools but it is not installable or
                                     yaird but it is not installable or
                                     linux-initramfs-tool
  module-init-tools: Depends: lsb-base (>= 3.0-6) but 2.0-7 is installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try using -f.

If I type apt-get -f install I get told that I'm trying to remove the running kernel which I don't want to do.

How can I unmark the packages so they don't try and update or whatever I need to do so I can use apt-get again ?

Also, if anyone can point me in the right direction of a tutorial to setup my server (numeric IP address) so it runs nameserver software and I can then use a domain name on it, that would be much appreciated.

TIA.

pljvaldez · 08-31-2006, 12:36 PM

It looks like you installed a kernel from etch or elsewhere. So it depends on other things that are not in Sarge. I guess what I would do is copy the /boot/config-2.6.15-1-486 kernel config file to your home directory. Then go back and boot into a stock sarge kernel (or aptitude install kernel-image-2.6-386). Then remove the 2.6.15 kernel above.

Then if you want the newer kernel, download the source from kernel.org, copy the config file you saved to /usr/src/linux/.config and recompile a new one. It's really pretty easy, but if you need a guide, use this one (note it's a little outdated, but all the steps are the same).

pljvaldez · 08-31-2006, 12:38 PM

By the way, can you post a link to the tutorial? Maybe we can figure out what you did to cause this problem...

PlymWS · 08-31-2006, 01:00 PM

I should point out that this is on a remote server that I only have SSH access to. Do I want to go ahead with the steps above given that I have no physical access to the server itself and can't get boot disks put in to cd drives etc ?

The tutorial I followed is here : cant post until ive made 3 posts

I got to the part that says

Code:

cd ~/a/dir/for/bind9
apt-get -y build-dep bind9
apt-get source bind9 -b
dpkg -i *.deb

At the first apt-get command in the above code is where I got to before I ran into problems.

pljvaldez · 08-31-2006, 01:56 PM

I guess I'd be concerned about doing it remotely just because I've never done it. Did someone else install that updated kernel? What's in your /etc/apt/sources.list (just curious where they installed it from)?

Sorry I'm not much help...

PlymWS · 08-31-2006, 02:11 PM

Third post

PlymWS · 08-31-2006, 02:12 PM

My /etc/apt/sources.list

deb file:///cdrom/ sarge main

#deb ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/ stable main
#deb-src ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/ stable main

deb ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/ stable main
deb-src ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/ stable main

deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main
deb http://packages.dotdeb.org stable all

PlymWS · 09-01-2006, 06:47 AM

Update. Tried (under advisement from someone who knows about Linux) to manually install the dependencies. No luck. Then we tried to rebuild the kernel to no avail so we tried letting apt-get run, remove the kernel then rebuild it. Doesn't appear to have worked as the server doesn't boot anymore (at least I can't connect via SSH). The server provider wants 200 euors to fix it, so I think they can go jump !

All this came from a simple apt-get command too

Anyone know any decent hosting companies that offer packages with 2TB bandwidth/month as I don't think my host will back down from the charges and I've already paid 99 euro to get an email saying it will cost more !!