Arch Linux

xtian

Member

Registered: 2013-08-25

Posts: 179

How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

I've not had any updates in several weeks with `pacman -Syu`.
This is somewhat unusual, leading me to the question, How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,774

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

It isn't.  Have you tried a different mirror?

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

xtian

Member

Registered: 2013-08-25

Posts: 179

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

It isn't.

What do you mean?

xtian

Member

Registered: 2013-08-25

Posts: 179

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

Woah! I last generated the Mirror List in May. I live in the northeast and just by quirk of my imagination, left Canada at the top of the list, followed by the US.
I moved the US above Canada and bingo! big update.

But the question is still relevant. In the abstract, what should I look at to ensure pacman is working correctly? The mirror list is long, and many of the mirrors I checked were up.

Last edited by xtian (2016-10-24 17:53:33)

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,424

Website

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Reflector

---

Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,774

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

In my case, I subscribe to the mail lists and get regular notification of package sign offs.  I assure you I have seen more than a couple in the last several weeks. By induction, I knew that pacman was not functioning as intended.  Your symptoms are invariably caused by a stale pacman database.

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

xtian

Member

Registered: 2013-08-25

Posts: 179

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

In my case, I subscribe to the mail lists and get regular notification of package sign offs.  I assure you I have seen more than a couple in the last several weeks.

I usually just check the front page and search the forum for issues. It seems there's a lot of news in the mail lists that I'm missing. Thanks for your reply.

Here's a list of what I did:
1) "Download a fresh copy of the master package database."
`$pacman -Sy`

I routinely run pacman with the `-Syu` options. This didn't solve the problem.

2) Update/force the 'package list' to update
"Try running `pacman -Syyu` to force a refresh of all package lists and upgrade."

I tried this, but the result was the same.

3) Check the mirror status page

I compared some of the mirrors in my mirror list file, `/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist` and after finding most were in the "Successfully Syncing Mirrors" section, I concluded this was not the issue.

4) Re-sort the mirrors
The Tip on the Mirrors page suggested sorting the list with your fastest mirrors at the top. As I mentioned above, for whatever reason I had the Canada mirror on top with US below. After putting the US mirrors first, `$pacman -Syu` behaved normally, giving me a large list of updates.

This list assumes there's always some package which I use that has been updated during my semi-monthly habit of refreshing the database and updating the system. That's why finding no updates after about a month was unusual.

One last question. Since I learn most everything I know about the nuts and bolts of Linux in general and Arch system administration specifically from from the wiki, How is refreshing the "package list" the different from "updating the database"?

Also, I will mark this question solved.

Last edited by xtian (2016-10-24 23:55:29)

TheChickenMan

Member

From: United States

Registered: 2015-07-25

Posts: 354

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

How is refreshing the "package list" the different from "updating the database"?

Same thing.

https://www.archlinux.org/mirrorlist/
You can go here to generate a new, updated list of mirrors.

---

If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.
Niels Bohr

bryan.paradis

Member

Registered: 2016-10-22

Posts: 43

Re: How can I be sure `pacman` is working correctly?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Reflector

Thanks for this.