Arch Linux

psygrass

Member

Registered: 2007-09-19

Posts: 3

pacman problem

I am trying to install arch in vmware (and virtual box before), however in both times that tried i get this error msge:

error: failed to init transaction (unable to lock database)
  if you're sure a package manager is not already
  running, you can remove /var/lib/pacman/db.lck.

tried: (killall pacman)
pacman: no process killed

and  (sudo rm -f /var/lib/pacman/db.lck) is giving me: cannot remove `/var/lib/pacman/db.lck': No such file or directory

tried also (pacman --debug -Syy) got a long msge, some of it is:

Apparently this problems happens after I install (libgl and xorg), any advice or help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Last edited by psygrass (2008-07-23 23:44:09)

ravster

Member

From: Queen's U, Kingston, Canada

Registered: 2004-05-02

Posts: 285

Website

Re: pacman problem

Try 'pkill pacman' instead.

Does using pacman.static help?

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ravidesai.com

psygrass

Member

Registered: 2007-09-19

Posts: 3

Re: pacman problem

Thanks for the reply;

No, pkill pacman is not doing anything, and pacman.static is not helping either.

The thing is that there REALLY is NO such a file (db.lck) in (/var/lib/pacman/):

rooloo

Member

Registered: 2008-07-09

Posts: 218

Re: pacman problem

looks to me like you have issue with the local pacman database. I assume this database is what keeps track of what packages u have installed.

db.lck file you insist should exists doesn't necessarily have too. That file is only put in place when pacman is in use, that way there is no possible way to install something twice or remove something while trying to do something else with pacman. Keeps the database 'sane' by only allowing access to it with one active session.

The fact that you have no db.lck file suggest that pacman never seg faulted or quit for some unexpected error, as that is the only way the db.lck file will remain. If pacman closes fine then the db.lck file is removed since pacman is no longer active.

So, even though I can't fix your issue, I can tell you that your db.lck file is not the main issue either.

What do the pacman logs say?

Last edited by rooloo (2008-07-24 02:30:11)

Allan

Pacman

From: Brisbane, AU

Registered: 2007-06-09

Posts: 11,385

Website

Re: pacman problem

Manually create the directory /var/lib/pacman/.   db.lock can't be created because that directory isn't there not because another version is already there.

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rooloo

Member

Registered: 2008-07-09

Posts: 218

Re: pacman problem

Allan, post #3 suggest that he has that directory already.

nj

Member

Registered: 2007-04-06

Posts: 93

Re: pacman problem

Is the filesystem read only? Try to create a file in that directory.

twiistedkaos

Member

Registered: 2006-05-20

Posts: 666

Re: pacman problem

Is the filesystem read only? Try to create a file in that directory.

I agree with him, sounds like the directory is read only, so pacman is having trouble creating the file it needs.

psygrass

Member

Registered: 2007-09-19

Posts: 3

Re: pacman problem

I am sorry for my late reply.
I think it was my stupid mistake as I have given a small space for the boot partition in my vmware (that is why pacman had troubles creating the file it needed). Now I installed it again with bigger partitions and pacman is working fine now.

Thank you for your replies.