[SOLVED] Package texinfo-6.1-3 problem

snowhog · 2016-04-28 00:53:29

Subject package is identified when running pacman -Syu this evening. Proceeding with the installation fails with Errors occurred, no packages were upgraded.

Stepping through the process with pacman -Syu | more shows an error after checking for file conflicts...

error: failed to comit transaction (conflicting files)

The Pacman Wiki, 3.1 "Failed to commit transaction (conflicting files)" error (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pa … 9.22_error) addresses this with:

Why this is happening: pacman has detected a file conflict, and by design, will not overwrite files for you. This is a design feature, not a flaw.
The problem is usually trivial to solve. A safe way is to first check if another package owns the file (pacman -Qo /path/to/file). If the file is owned by another package, file a bug report. If the file is not owned by another package, rename the file which 'exists in filesystem' and re-issue the update command. If all goes well, the file may then be removed.

I don't have an objection to, as stated, "check if another package owns the file (pacman -Qo /path/to/file)" with one exception: There are 433 separate files that would need to be checked (The output of pacman -Syu when proceeding lists 433 lines for texinfo.)

I checked several of these files with pacman -Qo and every one I checked came back with "No package owns" the checked file. Assuming that all 433 files are in fact not owned by another package -- which is what I suspect is the case -- the solution of renaming all 433 existing files is simply unacceptable. I can't believe that this is a normal situation.

This is a clean installation of Arch Linux, checked and updated daily using pacman -Syu. This is the first time I have seen this.

I believe I've done my research, but I am not sure what I should do. I don't want to force the package to be installed (pacman -Syu --force) unless advised that doing so, in this case, is okay and advised. Or, should I simply 'wait it out' and proceed only when pacman -Syu no longer presents this particular issue.

Last edited by snowhog (2016-04-28 02:25:31)

jasonwryan · 2016-04-28 01:11:34

You would never --force a system update; only use it for single packages.

In this case, you can delete the unowned files or force update texinfo.

snowhog · 2016-04-28 01:17:43

Thank you.

Ran pacman -S --force texinfo and that completed. Then ran pacman -Syu and it completed without further errors.

jasonwryan · 2016-04-28 01:24:50

Cool. Please remember to mark your thread as [Solved] by editing your first post and prepending it to the title.

Arch Linux

#1 2016-04-28 00:53:29

[SOLVED] Package texinfo-6.1-3 problem

#2 2016-04-28 01:11:34

Re: [SOLVED] Package texinfo-6.1-3 problem

#3 2016-04-28 01:17:43

Re: [SOLVED] Package texinfo-6.1-3 problem

#4 2016-04-28 01:24:50

Re: [SOLVED] Package texinfo-6.1-3 problem

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