[SOLVED] cannot download OR upgrade pkgs

jrch · 04-11-2016, 01:53 PM

I posted this as a 'reply' to my original post/thread, but it is so old that it does not even show on the board. I would like folks to consider this and comment, if desired.
Basically, I could not figure out how to get the slackware 'package' system to 'update packages' when a message arrived saying their were updates (security list subscriber). Didier explained to follow the instrux at the bottom of each message. That worked, at the time.
Now it fails completely, details below. Comments appreciated.
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Hello again, this thread is almost a year old, I am the original poster. Thanks Didier for your helpful reply last year. It worked -at the time.
I've not upgraded/updated Slack 14.1-64 since those few attempts last year, which succeeded, with Didier's help.
In the meantime I've installed Alien Bob's 'multilib' pkg to be able to use 32-bit apps. This seems to have worked.
No problems until trying to install the patches on the security list, back to June 2015. This is extremely confusing and I continue to hit the wall. I've tried to 'upgradepkg' as the instructions say, to no avail. I have *very carefully* checked the exact package name, making sure between number '1' and letter 'el', etc etc. I have 'upgraded slackpkg' gpg and itself. But, *ALL* I get is the repeated error message, "...no such file found" (paraphrased).
An example: I have on my system the Firefox package, "mozilla-firefox-31.7.0esr-x86_64-1_slack14.1" (That is a 'zero' before 'esr').
Checking to make sure I am online, and have uncommented the ftp mirror at OSU, I type in, "upgradepkg mozilla-firefox-38.7.1esr-x86_64-1_slack14.1.txz", *exactly* as specified in the message dated 17 March 2016, SSA:2016-077-01.
The result is "Cannot install [same filename as above - jrich] : file not found".
This also happens if I just try to download the file with 'slackpkg download [filename]'; result is "No packages match the pattern for download". (!!@#)
I'm now in pulling-hair mode. I've checked everything I could think of. Last year it worked. Now, no.
I do note that my installed pkg (name above) does not have the '.txz' appended, tried the process without, still fails.
I must be doing something simple incorrectly, but cannot find it.
Any comments would be very helpful. Thanks in advance,
jrich

jrch · 04-11-2016, 06:58 PM

Well, after some other activity, I went back and rechecked all the steps. Rechecked that I am online. Changed to a different ftp mirror in '/etc/slackpkg/mirrors'. Rechecked some of the recent 'security updates', even using mouse to copy exact filenames to (root user) cmd window with 'upgradepkg', and even 'slackpkg download'.
I had also gone thru the basic upgrading for slackpkg gpg and slackpkg itself, as instructed in slack literature.

I don't think this system works very well.

jrch

jrch · 04-11-2016, 06:59 PM

...and yes I am doing all this as root....

bassmadrigal · 04-11-2016, 08:30 PM

I think you don't understand the various programs. installpkg, upgradepkg, and removepkg are all for programs that currently exist on your system as a file. So, if you were to use upgradepkg on firefox, you would first need to download it from your favorite mirror.

However, slackpkg is able to perform all the functions of the above programs when you call it with various options (see man slackpkg for all the details). To upgrade firefox, you can just run:

Code:

slackpkg upgrade mozilla-firefox

But, the simplest way to update your whole system up-to-date is to run the following:

Code:

slackpkg update gpg      # Only needs to be done the first time so it has the gpg of the mirror
slackpkg update          # Grabs the latest list of files
slackpkg upgrade-all     # Will search through all the files and present you all the programs that are different from the mirror (it sees any version change as an "upgrade" whether the version is up or down)

There's a few others within that are handy, but more typically if you are either monitoring -current or upgrading to a newer release of Slackware

Code:

slackpkg install-new     # Will install any newly added programs (you won't see new programs on 14.1, so there's no reason to run this unless you're monitoring -current or once you upgrade to 14.2 when it is released)
slackpkg clean-system    # Will present you a list of all packages not listed on the mirror. This will help you find packages that have been removed from Slackware. NOTE: It will present a list that will include any 3rd-party pacakges, so use caution when removing

bateleur · 04-12-2016, 09:26 AM

If you want to use installpkg, removepkg or upgradepkg you need to do

cd /var/log/packages

I assume that folder is not empty, is it?

On the other hand, if you change your mirror, you'd need to do slackpkg update again. If you try to install a package with its "full name" the reason slackpkg doesn't find it, might be because it is not available on the mirror you are using. Browse to the mirror to see if it's really there with the "full name" you are looking.

And once you installed multilib, have you kept updating that package as well? How? Manually? Or with slackpkgplus?

jrch · 04-12-2016, 12:40 PM

These are both welcome suggestions.

However, they are NOT in any instructions I've seen about any of these utilities. Such documentation as there is is pretty weak.

And, my method - far from 'not understanding' is an exact replica of the instructions in the security message, using 'upgradepkg (file)'. There is no mention in the instructions about being in the directory - and yes it is not empty.

In fact, I've tried (and hit the wall every time) to 'download' the various new pkgs. 'Slackpkg download' fails every time as I have documented. I've checked carefully to ensure correct filename entry, etc. The manpage says they should go into '/var/cache/packages', but of course nothing like that happens. The response is always 'file not found'.

Years ago - before the www (and at 300 baud) for you newbies - we used to 'ftp' from a command line. I've either forgotten or somehow cannot make that work at all. Trying to do it from Firefox I cannot make it work at all. So, no downloads.

Using the suggestion, 'slackpkg upgrade mozilla-firefox' does work (takes an hour with my super-fast-high-speed-internet)(a joke there) and did the job nicely. As I said, this is not what the published intructions say to do. The instructions that come with the security notice say to 'upgradepkg [filename of new file]', which is what I tried to do repeatedly. Nowhere does it say anything about 'being in any directory.

However, frustrated tho I am, I'm very grateful for the comments, since now at least I can make the system work. The suggestions make a lot of sense, but are, I think, a bit beyond expectation for someone who does not live and breath Slack. And, I also know now that my 'mirror' selection (the one that lets Slackware find a mirror...) does work and I do not have some system problem.

So thanks very much.

jrich

bassmadrigal · 04-12-2016, 01:35 PM

What instructions are you referring to? I've never seen it suggested that upgradepkg will download packages for you. While the man page doesn't specify the file has to be on the disk, it also doesn't explicitly mention that it would download them. The error, stating that the file could not be found, should be indicative that the file needs to be on the disk, especially when upgradepkg doesn't show any indication of an attempt to download the file. I don't say this to be condescending, but to let you see the way I'd work through the issues.

As for slackpkg, I just tested it on my computer, and slackpkg download mozilla-firefox worked correctly and downloaded the file to /var/cache/packages/slackware64/xap/, both the package and the .asc file (used to ensure the download wasn't corrupted).

What mirror are you using that you can't browse it in Firefox? Any FTP site should be accessible. Example: University of Utah's FTP server

But, I'm glad you got it working. Feel free to ask if you run into other problems (however, try to keep it to one thread)