[solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

lnx · 2010-01-26 17:36:51

I noticed that with every update archlinux seems to grow. Is this supposed to happen? What happens when the partition runs out on space? I've looked at the pacman archwiki, but I didn't find an answer there.

Last edited by lnx (2010-06-04 17:58:11)

rson451 · 2010-01-26 17:38:37

Clean your package cache?

Cyrusm · 2010-01-26 18:19:52

yeah, just run pacman -Scc and watch the free space magically appear!

just as a forwarning, make sure you aren't intending on downgrading any packages any time soon,

Last edited by Cyrusm (2010-01-26 18:21:21)

lnx · 2010-01-26 18:48:16

Thanks for the suggestion! With my limited knowledge I would never have come up with this solution. I've been looking around for an understandable explanation of what a package cache is. All I've found so far is the commands for cleaning it, howto maintain etc. Can someone point me in the right direction?

draugdel · 2010-01-26 18:58:43

It is basically a simple directory where all the packages you download (install, update and so on) get stored. That way, you don´t have to download them again, if you decided to remove a package and then install it again. It also provides a way to downgrade to an earlier package if you encounter problems after an update. It tends to get quite big after some time, so you should remember to clean it every now and then. Preferably without deleting the currently installed packages and after testing them for a while. That way you can be sure that they work correctly and can still downgrade easily if a future update breaks something.

owain · 2010-01-26 19:04:56

lnx wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion! With my limited knowledge I would never have come up with this solution. I've been looking around for an understandable explanation of what a package cache is. All I've found so far is the commands for cleaning it, howto maintain etc. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Run

ls /var/cache/pacman/pkg

and you'll see. Every time pacman downloads a new or updated package, it's stored there, available for if it needs reinstallation, or if you need to roll back to an earlier version.

(On preview, what he/she said )

Edit: note, Arch servers don't keep old versions. pacman -Scc clears out the currently-installed versions, so if the next upgrade breaks something, it's harder to roll back. pacman -Sc keeps the current version in the cache.

Last edited by owain (2010-01-26 19:07:43)

bernarcher · 2010-01-27 07:55:23

owain wrote:

Arch servers don't keep old versions. pacman -Scc clears out the currently-installed versions, so if the next upgrade breaks something, it's harder to roll back. pacman -Sc keeps the current version in the cache.

It is not all lost. In case you ever need some old package not in your cache you may try the Wayback Machine or the more actual ARM server.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-01-26 17:36:51

[solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#2 2010-01-26 17:38:37

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#3 2010-01-26 18:19:52

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#4 2010-01-26 18:48:16

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#5 2010-01-26 18:58:43

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#6 2010-01-26 19:04:56

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

#7 2010-01-27 07:55:23

Re: [solved] archlinux grows bigger after each update?

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