How to interpret this output/response?

AlexBB · 05-03-2014, 11:56 AM

It is Ubuntu 12.04 guest OS (VM).

I issued this command: dpkg -l gcc

I got the response which in this thumbnail. What does it all mean?

Ztcoracat · 05-03-2014, 12:28 PM

Hi:

I have never seen this error message before; however I looked it up online to see what others have to say about it-

Maybe (I am not sure) VM didn't have enough RAM and it cause conflict with installing gcc?
What bugs me is what is it that "Reinst Required" is refering to.

Look in our Ubuntu forum there may be a solution or at least a discussion on this.

Sorry I don't know more.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9...i-enter-dpkg-l

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1608698

http://linuxprograms.wordpress.com/2...tus-dpkg-list/

AlexBB · 05-03-2014, 01:00 PM

Actually there is no error at all. I am sure gcc is installed. It has come with the Ubuntu installation. I simply do not understand the reply with all those strange abbreviations or whatnot.

Ztcoracat · 05-03-2014, 01:11 PM

Each abbreviation has an explanation--

Code:

u: Unknown (an unknown state)
i: Install (marked for installation)
r: Remove (marked for removal)
p: Purge (marked for purging)
h: Hold

The rest of the meanings are:

Code:

n: Not- The package is not installed
i: Inst – The package is successfully installed
c: Cfg-files – Configuration files are present
u: Unpacked- The package is stilled unpacked
f: Failed-cfg- Failed to remove configuration files
h: Half-inst- The package is only partially installed
W: trig-aWait
t: Trig-pend

jdkaye · 05-03-2014, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBB

Actually there is no error at all. I am sure gcc is installed. It has come with the Ubuntu installation. I simply do not understand the reply with all those strange abbreviations or whatnot.

Just give the command

Code:

man dpkg-query

and all those strange abbreviations will be explained.
jdk

AlexBB · 05-03-2014, 04:19 PM

Thank you for explanations. Now, how can I find out if the VirtualBox guest additions have been installed? This is the scoop. I certainly downloaded and installed them while I had another Ubuntu VM which subsequently died. I installed another Ubuntu VM where the clipboard and drag'n'drop do not work. I set them up for bidirectional but they do not work, period. There is a very long Internet trace of a similar problem going back perhaps a decade and some people were saying that if the guest additions are not installed the clipboard would not work. Are they guest additions for the virtualBox or the virtual machine? How can I be sure they are installed?

Thanks, - Alex

AlexBB · 05-03-2014, 04:30 PM

Still I have questions. It seems nobody can understand what I need. What does this line mean?

Quote:

Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold

Desired of what? to Purge what? and how about this totally crazy line:

Quote:

| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/half-conf/Half-inst

What the heck is it?

Shadow_7 · 05-04-2014, 12:33 AM

Just informative about the previous "ii" breakdown. So you don't have to go research it. Otherwise data to be ignored by.

$ dpkg -l 'gcc'

would be more accurate. In the old days if you used wildcards like *gcc* it would grab false positive from matches in the current path. Unless you incased it with '' as in '*gcc*'. Although not a symptom of anything currently installed for me. But I have to use dpkg-query for packages that exists but are NOT installed these days. Just noting that 12.04 is 2+ years old now. And was probably six months old version wise before it was 12.04.