Package Kit Error-- "Cannot retrieve repository metadata (repomd.xml) for repository"
 

I'm using KDE in Fedora 9 and got the message:

ackage Kit Error-- "Cannot retrieve repository metadata (repomd.xml) for repository"

what does this mean and how do I fix it?

Thanks

The error is probably in your /etc/yum.conf, or in /etc/yum.repos.d/<filename>.repos. If the repo address goes one directory level too deep (to the repodata folder) you will get that error.

Copy the url in your repo file and paste in into a browser. It should take you to the repository site. It if ends up in the repodata folder (where the repmod.xml file is located), back off one level in the directory tree so that you see a tree with folders like:
i585
i686
noarch
ppc
repodata
x86_64

That should be the last level in the repo url. Yum will find the repodata folder and repmod.xml, and apply the necessary data for you installation (either 32 bit or 64 bit).

I think I understand what you're getting at but am not sure I'm looking in the right place for the repo URL. I go to and all that's there is a folder called pluginconf.d with a file called refresh.package.conf in it, the contents of which are I then go back up a couple levels and proceed to /etc/yum.repos.d which contains livna.repo, the file I am trying to install so I can play my mp3 files in Amarok.

Here's the contents of this file:

Now, which URL should I be testing to see if it's at the right level? All the URLs I tried got 404's. I tried installing the livna repository from their website http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ clicked "Open with package installer" as opposed to "save file", it asks "Do you want to install this file?" /var/tmp/kdecache-mbvpixies78/krun/4169.0.livna-release-9.rpm I click ok, it says missing GPG signature and offers choice of "force install" which I choose. Then it says but when I scan the collection of music from my windows partition, it says Amarok can't play mp3's.


??

As you can see in my updated signature, I'm using a really new version of KDE and wondering if that has something to do with the problems. I'm going to try downgrading to Fedora 8 and see how that works.

I too had a similar problem and found after much trial-and-error that the baseurl must end in a forward slash - /mnt/source/.
Keeping all other things the same, this did not work: while this worked:NOTE:
I had to manually unmount the default mounting of the install DVD by seeing the mounted devices list like this:
And then to match the default mounting in the first install process I changed it to /mnt/source like this (using su and temporarily becoming root - sudo did not seem to work ) : This was required because I tried the default mapping to no avail :
PS: If there's any mistake or suggestion for this, please feel free to point out.

Why don't you comment out the baseurl lines and uncomment out the mirrorlist instead?

size of download
 

Size of the download. I'm a newbie to the rpm world, and so I've very sparingly used the command-line for installations - if I can break things so easily, I'm a dangerous user and I should never use the commandline ;)
I tried installing Fedora 9 thrice over - the first time I chose a lot of packages by spending over an hour reading through each and every item description in the default categories. Then it hints to me that practically NONE of the packages that come with the DVD are gong to be used from the DVD itself - most of it will be downloaded from the mirrors, online - because it says
Installing 20 of 2400+ packages
(and it does not _once_ read the DVD drive in 30 minutes!)

So, it's great to stay up to date with the latest security patches and stuff except that I got the DVD as a formatting and maybe 500+ MB initial installer medium.
Everything I want is updated or patched and there's no help on what I must do to completely disable any online repos. In fact there's no nearly help anywhere on the install screens. Contrast that with Yast. This is not a Fedora bashing post but I'm pretty pissed of with the assumption that the user has unlimited high speed broadband all around the world.
Why do I download a DVD iso then? I might as well get some network install iso and download it.

Dont get me wrong, Fedora 9 is wwwaaaaaaayy better than earlier versions - it does what Ubuntu or Debian or Mandriva or PCLinuxOS2007 don't do - autoconfigure a higher screen resolution on a "non-standard" monitor SyncMaster 794MG.

But some kind of relevant help should be there on every install screen. And it must show up before the user can click.
It should stop the user from clicking next before reading.
It's the total install effort that counts not the mere simplicity of the install screen.

Fedora has everything good and more, but needs to be polished a bit. Putting useful help text in Anaconda is a patch that can be applied before next weekend. They should treat that with the same priority as the other patches.
I would've put in the text here except for the simple fact that I dont know much in this case and I cant do a good job of it.

Oh and yes, packagekit does not allow editing yet.
Mix the two and you get a nice weekend full of installation blues.

What's the download size got to do with set baseurls or using a mirrorlist?

Repo file formats, partial install, packagekit and DVD not used
 

(This is a long rant, if you have work, simply ignore it ;) )

To know the basic necessary things about the structure of a .repo file, somebody has to write the docs in a place that the installing user can read. At least, it should make it into the installer because at the time of installing Fedora, there is no internet access available to use Google to look up and there is no manual to read from. This necessitates a minimum second install if you are a newbie and have this set of circumstances - low bandwidth, no manual, no printer, busy programming life (keeping family/wife out ;) ), etc, etc.

Never mind, now that it is working, let's leave it at that.
Thanks anyway :)
I'll look closely at the repo file format as soon as i get this set up done

Now to solution that might merit some thought:
(a) See Klik (if you havent already :) ) - went there from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Package...Hybrid_systems

(b) Give this a thought -
Assume that there are at least 10,000 fedora users who download the iso every month - that is about 3 GB x 10,000 = 30 TB. Of course, lets say caching, p2p, etc make this a total strain of about 3TB on the network. Patches are pushed out daily/hourly to end user PCs.
At mirrors, isos are updated about once in 3 months - and then you inevitably have to download patches that keep you clear of security problems and crashes introduced by new features.
Practically it boils down to 10,000 people patching their machines every day/week.
Still, the isos, they are updated only once in 3-6 months.
Now as in my case, I got the DVD from an external source (like on-disk)
I reduced traffic that wee little bit - and had _expected_ no need to update.
But update it did do. And _lots_ of it.
Which means, in effect I would have downloaded half the distro - again.
So if I'm doing that anyway, why aren't we updating iso's every week rather than month - or push out changesets rather full packages everytime?
Pushing the new iso to a mirror is cheaper than pushing the old iso 10,000 times which again download the patched stuff anyway.
The whole problem is that the sizes are not small - "latest software" updates take anywhere from 100MB to 1GB. That's half the size of a huge distro and fully the size of a basic desktop distro.

Obviously there are changesets - well, I've seen some so I know this isn't missed out - it has to have been obvious for maybe decades to maintainers. But why is that not being applied everywhere?
Or alternatively, do we really need to download and update all those patches - well maybe it depends on what you use the system for I guess.
In which case, I'll ask for myself : what's the best frequency for a regular run-of-the-mill LAMP developer?
IMO, some words to that effect must be shown before the user presses the install button.

Then there's Klik - I've not tried it out, but it seems really nice :
I have an app. It does what I want it to do. I dont want any more features. Give me a zip file. I'll use it on any recent linux distro. At least the family that I use - rpm/deb - next two years no upgrade, no features, no bugs. Life is easy.

IMO, this is important enough not to ignore, unless I missed something obvious. In which case, I realize I'm pretty much new to the command-line and file formats. I've been spoilt by openSUSE - it just works - and so this looks tough.

Maybe I should sum it up this way:
the install sequence must be managed by a front-end exactly like Synaptic. If I find that the thing is taking too much time, I cancel it right there. Then on, that package or software does not exist till I redownload it. But I should be allowed to stop at will with a few standard error or warning messages. And yes, PackageKit so far does not have editing. That's a temporary problem.

Sorry again for sounding like a crybaby but 6 hours for a basic install (done twice over) takes some emotional toll.


Update
I looked up these:
http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Syste...CD-21068.shtml

So, I think I must change my install strategy
Only ever use LiveCDs to try out a new distro :)

Update 2
If possible, get KYum. It is awesome.
For my needs, it is better than PackageKit as of now.

Don't use packagekit - as noted, you can't (always) add your own repos.

yum from the command line is eas to use, flexible and faster

I still can't play mp3's
 

Can anyone help me find the right name for rpm's to install using Yum to allow Amarok to play mp3 files?