Install Package Error #1

sporks · 01-03-2005, 07:01 PM

Help! I'm stuck with a new computer and no Slackware. :grrrrrr:

I brought the computer home. Unpacked it, and pulled out my trusty Slackware 10 CDs. Plopped 'em in, booted up, cfdisked the HD and started my install.

After selecting my packages I started getting an error:

Code:

Installpkg Error #1
Fatal Error Attempting to Install *tgz

Ok, panicked at first. Dropped in Knoppix, that booted up ok. Using it now as a matter of fact to get here.

So that works.

So I tried installing SuSE 9.0 Pro. I have some CDs a friend gave me. That installed. :shock:

Ok I thought. Well, must be the CDs I burned with the old burner. Downloaded and burned a new CD with the new burner.

Plopped it in. Same result. Same messages.

Goes through the entire setup until I try to load packages then it pukes on me.

Suggestions? This is really beginning to irritate me. SuSE is nice and all but it's not Slackware.

I forgot, I burned the new iso at the lowest speed I could. 1x.

DaHammer · 01-04-2005, 01:23 AM

Here are the error codes from installpkg used on the installation disks:

Code:

# If installpkg encounters a problem, it will return a non-zero error code.
# If it finds more than one problem (i.e. with a list of packages) you'll only
# hear about the most recent one. :)
# 1 = tar returned error code
# 2 = failed 'gzip -l package'
# 3 = does not end in .tgz
# 4 = not a file
# 99 = user abort from menu mode

And the only place in it I see that this error could occur:

Code:

  # Test tarball integrity, and make sure we're not installing files on top of existing symbolic links:
  $TAR tzf $package 1> $TMP/tmplist$$ 2> /dev/null
  TARERROR=$?
  if [ ! "$TARERROR" = "0" ]; then
    EXITSTATUS=1 # tar file corrupt
    if [ "$MODE" = "install" ]; then
      echo "Unable to install $package: tar archive is corrupt (tar returned error code $TARERROR)"
    fi
    rm -f $TMP/tmplist$$
    continue
  fi
  cat $TMP/tmplist$$ | grep -v "/$" | while read file ; do
    if [ -L "$ROOT/$file" ]; then
      rm -f "$ROOT/$file"
    fi
  done

My guess is that the package you're trying to install is either corrupt or the Slackware setup program is confused about where the packages are. According to the above, it would tell you what the tar error is as well. What does that say? You could also try changing that first line of code to something like this:

Code:

$TAR tzf $package 1> $TMP/tmplist$$ 2>> /tmp/tarerror.log

That will redirect any tar errors encountered to /tmp/tarerror.log. And you should be able to get a good idea of what is going wrong from that log. The file to edit is at /usr/lib/setup/installpkg line 390 once you boot up to the install disk. You can use "vi" to edit the file or something like this will do as well:

Code:

sed -i-org 's@$TAR tzf $package 1> $TMP/tmplist$$ 2> /dev/null@$TAR tzf $package 1> $TMP/tmplist$$ 2>> /tmp/tarerror.log@g' /usr/lib/setup/installpkg

Or you could even redirect all errors in installpkg to file if you want with this:

Code:

sed -i-org 's@2> /dev/null@2>> /tmp/error.log@g' /usr/lib/setup/installpkg

Both the above sed commands will save the original at /usr/lib/setup/installpkg-org if you need to revert back to it.

Good luck

sporks · 01-04-2005, 07:22 AM

Thanks Hammer.

I was wondering if it might not be the CDs themselves?

I was able to copy the Slackware directory from the CD while booted into SuSE and reboot and install the packages from the hard drive that I'd copied from the CD it wouldn't read. However I didn't get everything configured correctly thus no Slackware. But it did install all of the packages that I asked it to with no errors.

DaHammer · 01-04-2005, 01:00 PM

Yeah, could be. But if they work fine from Suse then I doubt it. Could also be that the kernel in Slackware doesn't like the CDROM drive. Maybe try a different kernel or compare the configs for the Slackware and Suse kernels and see what's different.

sporks · 01-04-2005, 02:57 PM

I'm convinced it's the CDs.

The SuSE CDs are different entirely in medium and burner than any of my Slack CDs.

Maybe the kernel doesn't like the CD ROM drive either. I don't know.

I've got the first disk loaded on a partition of my HD. Trying to install from that.

I managed to get everything set up, I thought.

Then when I rebooted LILO gave an error message and rebooted the system.

But the packages I copied off the cd onto the partition installed with no errors from the HD.

sporks · 01-04-2005, 08:56 PM

Ahhhh, Slackware, home again.

I managed to do a hard drive install and overcome a few issues with Lilo wanting to reboot when loading the kernel. Turning off acpi in lilo did the trick.

Still don't know what's wrong with the CDs but now I have a partition just for Slackware sources to do HD installs and now I know how so it's no problem.

ringwraith · 01-04-2005, 09:13 PM

Congrats. You might want to draw up the details on what you did and submit it to the Slack Faq thread they are doing. Seems like I have seen others ask how to do a HD install.

DaHammer · 01-04-2005, 11:13 PM

Cool, glad you got it going. And since you have set aside a parition for the Slackware installion files, you may as well take it to the next step and mirror the official Slackware tree or one of the mirrors, using rsync. That way you always have the entire OS in it's up-to-date form ready when you need it. I do that and either share the mirror over my LAN with NFS or http for all of my installs. It works well and is much faster than installing via CDROM.

sporks · 01-05-2005, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ringwraith
Congrats. You might want to draw up the details on what you did and submit it to the Slack Faq thread they are doing. Seems like I have seen others ask how to do a HD install.

I've considered doing a webpage of my experiences with Slack since I can find most stuff digging in forums here and there but not all in one place.

It'd be as much for me to refer back to as everyone else.

The university is closed today, guess I'll get a beer and get busy.

sporks · 01-05-2005, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DaHammer
Cool, glad you got it going. And since you have set aside a parition for the Slackware installion files, you may as well take it to the next step and mirror the official Slackware tree or one of the mirrors, using rsync. That way you always have the entire OS in it's up-to-date form ready when you need it. I do that and either share the mirror over my LAN with NFS or http for all of my installs. It works well and is much faster than installing via CDROM.

It is MUCH faster than the CD ROM install.

Good idea.

That will be my next step after documenting what I did.

sporks · 01-07-2005, 01:29 PM

Werking on the writeup.

http://sparky.earlycj5.com/developme...allation.shtml

Once I get that one done I'll submit it.

Need to double check some stuff, I'm at work right now though and the machine this is based on is at home.

If you see errors or suggestions let me know. Thanks!

sporks · 07-05-2005, 10:21 PM

After more wierdness with even the HD install Slackware wouldn't install from the HD or CD ROM either one.

So I've been Slackless at home for several months now.

I am no more though!

I successfully installed Vectorlinux SOHO 5.0 on this computer from CD tonite.

Just used

Code:

ide=nodma

when I booted the installer. So simple, so pleasing. 8)

sporks · 07-07-2005, 11:56 AM

Worked for Slackware 10.1 as well. Took the CDs home from work last nite and tried.

Hopefully this may help someone in the future.

Glad to be back home again.