How to install packages in Busybox?

Mountain · 02-26-2009, 01:56 PM

I'm in the rescue mode of the Ubuntu alternate CD installer.

I need to run blkid to get some disk info. However, blkid is not found.

I think it is in the package e2fsprogs, but when I try to run apt-get, the result is:

Code:

/bin/sh: apt-get: not found

How can I install/run blkid from within the limited environment available in rescue mode of the installer? Thanks

jdkaye · 02-27-2009, 09:10 AM

From the Debian packages package=libblkid1

Quote:

The blkid library which allows system programs like fsck and mount to quickly and easily find block devices by filesystem UUID and LABEL. This allows system administrators to avoid specifying filesystems by hard-coded device names, but via a logical naming system instead.

As you see you can't "run" blkid itself. It is used by other programs such as those named above. If you want to install it then

Code:

sudo aptitude install libblkid1

cheers,
jdk

Mountain · 02-27-2009, 09:23 AM

Hey, I appreciate the answer, but did you understand my question? "aptitude install" doesn't work in the installer environment. See what I said in my post:

apt-get: not found

so how do I install apps?

(BTW, blkid can indeed be run directly once you have it installed - try it yourself.)

jdkaye · 02-27-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain

Hey, I appreciate the answer, but did you understand my question? "aptitude install" doesn't work in the installer environment. See what I said in my post:

apt-get: not found

so how do I install apps?

(BTW, blkid can indeed be run directly once you have it installed - try it yourself.)

Puppy doesn't use deb-type packages so apt-get or aptitude are useless to you. Puppy comes with a "universal installer" (or something like that name) and you use that. I believe Puppy packages are called "PETS".

Rereading your post it isn't really clear what distro you are using. At first I thought you were using Ubuntu but I guess you aren't. Are you going to say which distro you're using or do I keep guessing?

Cheers,
jdk

Mountain · 02-27-2009, 11:39 AM

Yes, I am using Ubuntu. As I said, "I'm in the rescue mode of the Ubuntu alternate CD installer."

If you boot from the Ubuntu alternate CD installer and go into a command shell, you will be in the shell called "/bin/sh" running BusyBox. This is a very limited environment. I think you can also reach the same environment with Ctrl-Alt-F2 from the Ubuntu alternate CD installer. I am not using the Live CD because I need to do advanced disk setup.

Aptitude and apt-get are not available in this shell. So I need to know how to install '.deb' packages in that environment.

jdkaye · 02-27-2009, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain

Yes, I am using Ubuntu. As I said, "I'm in the rescue mode of the Ubuntu alternate CD installer."

If you boot from the Ubuntu alternate CD installer and go into a command shell, you will be in the shell called "/bin/sh" running BusyBox. This is a very limited environment. I think you can also reach the same environment with Ctrl-Alt-F2 from the Ubuntu alternate CD installer. I am not using the Live CD because I need to do advanced disk setup.

Aptitude and apt-get are not available in this shell. So I need to know how to install '.deb' packages in that environment.

I have never used busybox but it seems to be a small set of *nix tools. Are you even sure that you can install packages from inside the BBX environment? I guess this: http://www.busybox.net/ would be the best source of info.
Best of luck.
jdk

Mountain · 02-27-2009, 12:06 PM

I'm still needing more help. Surely someone knows how to install deb packages in the Ubuntu alternate CD command shell.

The BusyBox.net website is too general. I need specific help for Ubuntu. The BusyBox website says dpkg is available, but in the Ubuntu alt installer CD, this command is not present...

jdkaye · 02-27-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain

I'm still needing more help. Surely someone knows how to install deb packages in the Ubuntu alternate CD command shell.

The BusyBox.net website is too general. I need specific help for Ubuntu. The BusyBox website says dpkg is available, but in the Ubuntu alt installer CD, this command is not present...

I don't suppose it has tasksel...
jdk

Mountain · 02-27-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkaye

I don't suppose it has tasksel...
jdk

/bin/sh: tasksel: not found

jdkaye · 02-27-2009, 02:02 PM

You might do ls /usr/bin and ls /usr/sbin That will give you some idea of the tools you have available. Beyond that...... I'm out of suggestions. What exactly are you trying to rescue? There doesn't seem to be much there.
jdk

Mountain · 02-27-2009, 08:19 PM

Just so anyone who reads this thread in the future knows, I did not resolve this. I'm giving up.

davidtownes · 09-08-2015, 01:32 PM

This thread is super-old, so only answering it because it showed up first in a google search for "busybox package manager." The answer, as ultimately I discovered on my own with some targeted searches in a busybox console, is that busybox includes dpkg. So, if you're lucky and need to install something that doesn't have too many dependencies, you can use dpkg to get the job done.