[SOLVED] Apt-get update gets stuck while reading package list on my slug

rolnics · 03-14-2010, 10:26 AM

I'm running Debian Lenny on a Linksys NSLU2 Slug, I haven't run updates on it for a while.

upon running apt update I get the following error after it gets stuck on reading the package list at about 30%

Code:

E: Read error - read (5 Input/output error)
The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

I've googled this and come up with various potential fixes such as:-

Code:

apt-cache clean
apt-get clean all
dpkg --configure -a
apt-get install -f
rm /var/cache/apt/*.bin

But they don't seem to have solved the problem.

Thanks in advance

evo2 · 03-14-2010, 09:27 PM

It could be a corrupt file in /var/lib/apt/lists, or it could be a corrupt Packages file on one mirrors in your /etc/apt/sources.list.

Accordingly: Have you tried changing your sources.list? Or checking the sanity of the files in /var/lib/apt/lists/?

Cheers,

Evo2.

rolnics · 03-15-2010, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evo2

It could be a corrupt file in /var/lib/apt/lists, or it could be a corrupt Packages file on one mirrors in your /etc/apt/sources.list.

Accordingly: Have you tried changing your sources.list? Or checking the sanity of the files in /var/lib/apt/lists/?

Cheers,

Evo2.

I'm just using the main US server as I found I couldn't get anything with any local mirrors, but I'll check them out again.

How do you check the sanity of files?

Thanks

evo2 · 03-15-2010, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolnics

How do you check the sanity of files?

As a first check you could just do:

Code:

file /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Then you could have a look at the text files with the less command.

Cheers,

Evo2.

rolnics · 03-16-2010, 12:14 PM

The sanity check provided I assume was ok, it listed all the files as either text file or ASCII etc.

I checked the text files as suggested and I assume that they are ok as well as they were all identifiable text, nothing strange that I saw?

Also I changed the mirror that I was using in my source list, I thought I had a break through as it reached just over 50%........then I stuck again....perhaps I should have waited till it came up with an error message! I'll have to give it aother try later.

Thanks for the help

rolnics · 03-29-2010, 05:50 AM

I'm still having issues with apt updating.So over the weekend I tried updating again, but this time I had a thought and ran the update with one line of my source list at a time! Thankfully its only a two liner! The first line timed out and gave me a different error about bzip2, I've got a screen shot at home. The other line worked fine that was for security updates, although the kernel update threw up something else, which I got sorted .... I think!

But any more suggestions on this issue would be great.

evo2 · 03-29-2010, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolnics

I'm still having issues with apt updating.So over the weekend I tried updating again, but this time I had a thought and ran the update with one line of my source list at a time! Thankfully its only a two liner! The first line timed out and gave me a different error about bzip2, I've got a screen shot at home. The other line worked fine that was for security updates, although the kernel update threw up something else, which I got sorted .... I think!

Making progress. Cool.

Quote:

But any more suggestions on this issue would be great.

Ok, sounds like there is something wrong with that mirror. What is the line that is causing the problem?

Cheers,

Evo2.

rolnics · 03-30-2010, 01:50 PM

Right here's a cat of my source.list:-

Code:

#deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main

deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main

Running an update like that resulted in an error as per the attached screen shot.

Running it with the ftp line commented out gives me the security updates although the linux-image-2.6.26-2-ixp4xx upgrade is being a pain. I had the problem before and after a reboot usually its fine, but its persisting at the moment, just trying it again now. I think I'm making progress now. Just done an apt-get clean. Success!

So back to the original problem as attached.

Thanks

radiodee1 · 03-30-2010, 02:31 PM

Code:

#deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main

deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main

maybe the line should read:

Code:

deb http://http.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main

EDIT:
or maybe
deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
or try the one in the US...
deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main

the point being that the ftp and the http mixed on the same line might be a problem (though I suppose if it worked in the past...)

rolnics · 03-31-2010, 07:13 AM

Thanks, I can see your point and I'll give it a go later when I'm home. Its just strange how its all worked before and has now suddenly stopped?! Just a typical computer thing?!

Maybe that's why the security line is working.

rolnics · 04-01-2010, 01:31 PM

Thanks for the suggestions here's the result:-

Quote:

Originally Posted by radiodee1

deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main

I tried the above as suggested and got the error mark 1on the attached screen shot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by radiodee1

maybe the line should read:

Code:

deb http://http.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main

I tried the above and got the error marked 2. I will also try different severs with the above options as well.

rolnics · 04-05-2010, 08:59 AM

Finally! Everything seems to be working now! I tried update earlier today and it worked fine with both lines of my source! Then a little while later I though I'd try it again, just so see if it was a one off! Surprise I got stuck again! Anyway, I did some more searching and found and ran:-

Code:

apt-cache clean

Which gave me another error:-

Code:

E: Read error - read (5 Input/output error)

Seen it before somewhere

Done some more searching and found that there was a past bug with updates, and suggested these commands:-

Code:

rm /var/lib/dpkg/status
cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
dpkg --configure -a
aptitude update
aptitude upgrade
aptitude install -f

But when I got to the update command I got this error:-

Code:

E: Lists directory /var/lib/apt/lists/partial is missing.

I found another post that said that apt-cache clean causes the above error and to fix it enter this:-

Code:

mkdir -p /var/lib/apt/lists/partial

Then back finally running the last 3 commands:-

Code:

aptitude update
aptitude upgrade
aptitude install -f

Now everything seems to be working ok again!

Thanks for the help, I've learnt a far bit from this!