Arch Linux

HyperLink

Member

From: In front of my Linux box...?!

Registered: 2014-03-14

Posts: 44

Could not open database: Unrecognized archive format

So this message has been popping up for a very long time now occasionally:

Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/core.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/extra.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/community.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/multilib.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle-fonts.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/core.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/extra.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/community.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/multilib.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle-fonts.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/core.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/extra.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/community.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/multilib.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle.db: Unrecognized archive format
Error: Could not open file /var/lib/pacman/sync/infinality-bundle-fonts.db: Unrecognized archive format

with varying database files and varying count of these.

The only way to temporarily get rid of them is a pacman -Syy, but it comes back after a while.

Is it yaourt, KDE's updater thing or something completely different that keeps destroying my database?

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 11,544

Re: Could not open database: Unrecognized archive format

Next time it happens, take a look at the file (less, cat, whatever). I'm betting it's getting an HTML page. Most likely because either your mirror or your ISP is doing something stupid.

HyperLink

Member

From: In front of my Linux box...?!

Registered: 2014-03-14

Posts: 44

Re: Could not open database: Unrecognized archive format

Yeah I bet the KDE thing is updating the mirrors when my internet is not connected... Is there any way to turn it off?

I'll look at the files when it's happening again.

duanev

Member

Registered: 2012-02-26

Posts: 14

Re: Could not open database: Unrecognized archive format

For me this turned out to be a bad /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.  I kept the original one, so was able to delete the current list and rerun rankmirrors mirrorlist.bak > mirrorlist

WorMzy

Forum Moderator

From: Scotland

Registered: 2010-06-16

Posts: 11,846

Website

Re: Could not open database: Unrecognized archive format

You have a history of ressurecting old threads, duanev, please break this habit.

You have been linked to this part of the Code of Conduct before, please make sure to read it (as well as the rest of the CoC to make sure your memory is fully refreshed): https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … bumping.22

Closing.

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