Problems with apt
 

I'm having some issues with apt as of late. It is wanting to delete some packages that it says are unnecessary, like apt? gdm? and a whole bunch more. It has also been hanging on apt-get update. Can I get some feedback on how to resolve this?



pAn1k-b0x:/home/pan1k# aptitude safe-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done
Resolving dependencies...
The following packages have been kept back:
apt{a} apt-utils ghostscript{a} ghostscript-x{a} libgs8{a}
The following packages will be REMOVED:
bluez-gnome{u} eog{u} evince{u} evolution-exchange{u} fast-user-switch-applet{u} file-roller{u} gcalctool{u} gconf-editor{u} gdm{u} gdm-themes{u}
gedit{u} gedit-common{u} gnome-app-install{u} gnome-backgrounds{u} gnome-cards-data{u} gnome-games{u} gnome-games-data{u} gnome-nettool{u}
gnome-network-admin{u} gnome-power-manager{u} gnome-screensaver{u} gnome-system-tools{u} gnome-themes{u} gnome-themes-extras{u} gnome-vfs-obexftp{u}
gnuchess{u} gstreamer0.10-tools{u} gtk2-engines{u} gtk2-engines-pixbuf{u} gucharmap{u} guile-1.8-libs{u} libavahi-ui0{u} libdiscid0{u} libdmx1{u}
libepc-1.0-1{u} libepc-ui-1.0-1{u} libgalago3{u} libgda3-3{u} libgda3-common{u} libgdl-1-0{u} libgdl-1-common{u} libggz2{u} libggzcore9{u} libggzmod4{u}
libgksu1.2-0{u} libgksuui1.0-1{u} libgmyth0{u} libgnomevfs2-bin{u} libgpgme11{u} libgtk-vnc-1.0-0{u} libgtksourceview2.0-0{u}
libgtksourceview2.0-common{u} libkpathsea4{u} libmusicbrainz3-6{u} libneon26-gnutls{u} libopenobex1{u} libpt-1.10.10-plugins-alsa{u}
libpt-1.10.10-plugins-v4l{u} libpth20{u} libslang2-dev{u} libspectre1{u} libspeexdsp1{u} libswfdec-0.6-90{u} libxine1-gnome{u} p7zip{u}
python-4suite-xml{u} python-eggtrayicon{u} python-gdata{u} python-gdbm{u} python-gnome2-extras{u} python-gst0.10{u} python-gtkhtml2{u}
python-gtkmozembed{u} python-gtksourceview2{u} python-notify{u} python-xdg{u} rhythmbox{u} seahorse{u} serpentine{u} swfdec-gnome{u}
system-config-printer{u} totem-common{u} totem-gstreamer{u} totem-mozilla{u} totem-plugins{u} transmission-common{u} transmission-gtk{u} vinagre{u}
vino{u} warsow-data{u} zenity{u} zip{u}
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 92 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 442MB will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] n
Abort.
pAn1k-b0x:/home/pan1k#

This can sometimes happen with aptitude if you also use apt. Aptitude is great, but only when it is used exclusively. Aptitude maintains a list of packages that were installed automatically (for instance, as dependencies of another package). This is good, in that when one uninstalls a package, it is more complete and thorough (IE, it does not leave behind all the dependencies that came with the package during the initial installation of the package). However, if you also use apt to install some packages, then the list that aptitude maintains gets screwed up, and strange results, like what you've outlined, can result.

Try opening the ncurses aptitude terminal (IE, open the terminal as root user, and enter the command "aptitude"). With your mouse, select "Actions" from the top menu (or, with your keyboard, select Ctrl-T). Then, select "Cancel pending actions". Having done this, you should now be able to run the upgrade safely.

Thanks for the reply, I'll try it when I get home tonight and report back. Thanks.

Just run aptitude keep-all then it should be fine.

Will there be any issues with upgrading the packages in the future?

I will guess that if you now ran the command "apt-get upgrade", then you likely would have no issues whatsoever. It's when aptitude is used on a system that has also been using apt (or synaptic) that problems occur. Aptitude should only be used exclusively. So, I suggest sticking with apt/synaptic, and not using aptitude.

Above you say you're having problems with apt, but then report that in fact it is problems with aptitude, and not apt. So, again, I suggest sticking with apt, via "apt-get upgrade", and, I'm guessing, you'll have no further problems.

Have you just recently changed to using aptitude instead of apt/synaptic?
Just to follow on from what Craigevil said,here's what i would do:

aptitude update
aptitude keep-all
aptitude safe-upgrade

And then use aptitude exclusively in the future.

Just a minor nuance to what the trooper and mark_alfred have said, namely that aptitude must be used exclusively. This isn't quite true. I agree it shouldn't be used with apt-get but I use it with wajig and have done so for years with never any hint of a problem. I tend to use wajig for my regular updates-upgrades and aptitude for installations of single packages, reinstalls, simulations and stuff like that. As I said they play together extremely well. No problems at all.
cheers,
jdk

Hello jdk,

I'd forgotten about wajig,as i was curious i had a look at Debian's website:

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/wajig

Just wondered what wajig does that apt/aptitude does not?.

Here's the story.
1. I don't like aptitude's ncurses interface. I only use it on the command line so ... wajig puts you into a jig> environment so you can enter a bunch of different commands without waiting for it to reread your package database.
2. Its solution to various dependency issues is somewhat less extreme than aptitudes (e.g. deleting 9 packages instead of 142 to resolve a problem).
3. Its search function is more thorough than aptitude's.
4. When you run update, it tells you how many (potential) upgrades you have; aptitude doesn't do this.
That's it.
cheers,
jdk

Thanks for the input it seems to have fixed the problem.

Can you tell us what fixed the problem?,so anyone else searching this problem will find the answer.
Also it would be a good idea to use the thread tools and mark it as solved.