Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 12:10:51

A quick search through the forums did not turn up any applicable answers to my question, so my apologies if this is a commonly answered question.

I recently installed Arch without any trouble. I did not realize that it did not come with a GUI by default so using the wiki (http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfce) I attempted to install Xfce. Here is the command I used and the error I received:

pacman -S xfce4
xfce4 package not found, searching for group...
error:  'xfce4': not found in sync db

First question: where do the packages live? I downloaded the "core" ISO and burned it to a CD. Does the Xfce package live there? I had this CD in my drive when I attempted to install Xfce. I also had my properly functioning Ethernet cable connected so if Arch needed to look at the internet for a package it should have had access.

At any rate, I read that there was a mirror list that Arch looks at and thought perhaps I needed to change which mirror it was attempting to contact. I tried to edit the mirror list and, even though I was logged in as root, I did not have permission:

/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
-bash: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist: Permission denied

Next I attempted to give myself permission and then try to modify the list again. But my permission changes did not seem to have any effect:

chown root /etc
chown root /etc/pacman.d
chown root /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Even after trying all of those commands I still did not have permission to modify the mirror list. I am out of ideas. Can anyone help me get Xfce installed? Thank you.

Allan · 2009-04-20 12:12:00

Can you update your pacman databases (pacman -Sy)?

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 12:37:08

Unfortunately, no. When I attempt that update I receive this error:

error:  failed retrieving file 'community.db.tar.gz' from XXX:  Transient resolver error

Where XXX is all of the various mirrors Arch attempted to contact.

problemkenner · 2009-04-20 12:50:59

You have to be connected to the internet to update your database and to install xfce.

Greets.

Misfit138 · 2009-04-20 12:55:48

Try reading this thread: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=59894
If not, try searching the forum for /transient resolver failure'

fuscia · 2009-04-20 13:16:15

lamps06 wrote:

I tried to edit the mirror list and, even though I was logged in as root, I did not have permission:

how did you try to sign in as root? if you actually were signed in as root, you should have been able to edit that file.

when i first installed arch, i had to edit that file as all the mirrors were commented out. but, i had no problem signing in as root and editing it. i'm guessing this is your problem.

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 13:18:23

Hmmm, I was not able to ping either. I do not think Arch is able to communicate with my built in NIC. Do you folks know how I can enable my card?

stryder · 2009-04-20 14:20:53

I suggest you click on wiki and read the beginners guide. This is not meant to be sarcastic. I recently installed arch and found following the guide step by step very helpful. It is well written and informative.

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 15:12:41

Thanks, Stryder. I am looking over the Beginner's Guide now. I believe Arch is seeing my Ethernet card as the ifconfig command shows an Eth0 device. I thought perhaps I had accidentally assigned a static IP address during installation so I modified rc.conf using nano. I set my eth0 to "dhcp" instead of the preassigned static IP. I wrote out the file, rebooted but I still time out whenever I attempt to use the internet connection on eth0. Does anyone have any ideas? It seems like perhaps it could potentially be a problem with my wireless router. I currently have the Arch computer connected to it via an Ethernet cable. I know this connection is good because I just successfully used it with a Windows machine. Do I need to configure my router or am I still missing something in the Arch configuration?

stryder · 2009-04-20 15:53:58

You might need to tell arch the ip of your default gateway - you set it in /etc/rc.conf. Eg mine (static) is set thus:

gateway="default gw 192.168.0.1"
ROUTES=(gateway)

Or perhaps nameserver not set?

Last edited by stryder (2009-04-20 16:05:00)

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 16:11:12

I checked my Windows machine (which can successfully connect to my router) and the default gateway there is identical to yours, 192.168.0.1 I checked my rc.conf file and this is what the default gateway is currently set to.

reed9 · 2009-04-20 16:26:25

/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
-bash: /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist: Permission denied

If this is exactly what you typed, then you weren't indicating a program to open it with. Arch has a CLI text editor called nano installed by default. Try

su -
nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

It might be helpful if you post your /etc/rc.conf file. Assuming your NIC is being detected properly and the correct module loading, you can try and start the internet connection with (as root)

dhcpcd eth0

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 16:44:07

Thanks for the suggestion of using nano, reed9. Eventually I did realize that I needed to specify an editor to open files and have since used nano to modify my rc.conf file. I have set eth0 to "dhcp" (it was formerly set to a static IP) and rebooted but this has not had any effect.

I tried "dhcpcd eth0" but this times out.

reed9 · 2009-04-20 17:04:31

Check the output of lspci -v to find out what your ethernet card is. Might be able to troubleshoot if other people are having troubles with the same card.

lamps06 · 2009-04-20 17:39:55

Hmmm, do you happen to know the command to limit the amount of text displayed at a time? The output of lspci displays too much information at once to display on my screen and I lose the ethernet info. Thanks!

reed9 · 2009-04-20 17:46:13

lspci -v | less

You can also search for strings with

lspci -v | grep Ethernet

for example. Note that it is case sensitive.

.:B:. · 2009-04-20 17:51:09

lspci | less

But - you don't need the -v switch. In this situation it's totally redundant. Without the -v swich, the output is a lot more sane - and a lot less. If eth0 is available, make sure your router can assign a DHCP lease (and therefor an IP address).

brisbin33 · 2009-04-20 18:50:14

before we get wrapped around the axle, can i ask: what's the output of this:

grep -v ^# /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

just to be sure it's not another "go uncomment some mirrors" case.

EDIT: never cat to grep, just grep. never cat to grep, just grep.

EDIT2: nevermind, just saw post 7; can't ping either. continue network troubleshooting...

Last edited by brisbin33 (2009-04-20 18:54:04)

.:B:. · 2009-04-20 19:35:07

He gets no DHCP lease, but nevertheless checking the mirrorlist file is not a bad thing .

hardly · 2009-07-10 15:32:18

I see this all the time searching for answers of my own.

lamps06, did you bring the interface up with

ifconfig eth0 up

?

If you have not brought the interface "up" it will not be able to get an ipaddress with

dhcpcd eth0

.

As far as seeing this kind of thread everywhere I go, lamps06 said that he just realized that he would need to use an editor to edit the mirrorslist. This should have been a dead give away what it was something very simple that was causing nothing else to work.
I'm not trying to be derogatory or snide. I've only been using Linux exclusively for about a year.

Arch also has problems with DNS. so the thread at http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=59894 isn't a good example of a fix.

@B: what good is checking the mirrorlist if there is no network connection?

This is what I'm talking about. These answer make no sense.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-04-20 12:10:51

Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#2 2009-04-20 12:12:00

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#3 2009-04-20 12:37:08

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#4 2009-04-20 12:50:59

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#5 2009-04-20 12:55:48

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#6 2009-04-20 13:16:15

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#7 2009-04-20 13:18:23

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#8 2009-04-20 14:20:53

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#9 2009-04-20 15:12:41

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#10 2009-04-20 15:53:58

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#11 2009-04-20 16:11:12

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#12 2009-04-20 16:26:25

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#13 2009-04-20 16:44:07

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#14 2009-04-20 17:04:31

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#15 2009-04-20 17:39:55

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#16 2009-04-20 17:46:13

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#17 2009-04-20 17:51:09

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#18 2009-04-20 18:50:14

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#19 2009-04-20 19:35:07

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

#20 2009-07-10 15:32:18

Re: Trouble installing XFCE (all packages, really)

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