Arch Linux

prasadr

Member

Registered: 2009-06-23

Posts: 7

pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

Hi,
I am recently getting the following error while installing packages which are in .xz format only.

for e.g.
sudo pacman -S pacman  //works fine. as it is packaged in a .gz format
sudo pacman -S xterm     // error while reading pakage /var/cache/pacman/pkg/xterm-261-1-i686.pkg.tar.xz  -- unrecognized archive format: Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character.

I tried using the -U switch to install it -- I got the following little different message:
$ sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/xterm-261-1-i686.pkg.tar.xz
error: error while reading pakage /var/cache/pacman/pkg/xterm-261-1-i686.pkg.tar.xz: unrecognized archive format: Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character.
error: '/var/cache/pacman/pkg/xterm-261-1-i686.pkg.tar.xz': libarchive error

I have libarchive-2.8.4-1 on my system ( I have reinstalled it. )

[more info]
I used ltrace to see what is happening, here is the trace around the point where I am getting the error:
alpm_trans_commit(,,, <unfinished ...>
    printf("checking package integrity...\n")
    fflush(...)

    dcgettext(0, 0x805x690, 5, ...) = 0x8058690  ---- AFAIK, this one gets local specific string
    fprintf(..., "error: ")
    vfprintf(..., "error while reading package %s:"...)
<... alpm_trans_commit(,,,) resumed> )
alpm_strerrorlast(...)
dcgettext()
dcgettext()
fprintf(... "error")

Last edited by prasadr (2010-09-22 18:40:31)

skunktrader

Member

From: Brisbane, Australia

Registered: 2010-02-14

Posts: 1,543

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

Do you have xz installed?

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 74#p827074
"I accidentally deleted /usr ..." - have you fixed it? Or are you trying to make it work on the same system?

Last edited by karol (2010-09-22 17:39:04)

prasadr

Member

Registered: 2009-06-23

Posts: 7

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

@ skunktrader: I have xz installed and working fine (xz -d *.tar.xz gives the *.tar)

@ karol: I reinstated my /usr by using bsdtar utility. now my system is working fine (I am able to use my wireless card) however I am stuck at this .xz issue(even though my locale settings are set well).

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

What does 'pacman -Q pacman' show?

prasadr

Member

Registered: 2009-06-23

Posts: 7

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

$pacman -Q pacman
pacman 3.4.1-1

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

$pacman -Q pacman
pacman 3.4.1-1

You have current versions of pacman and libarchive and yet they refuse to work. I think you still have something broken somewhere. Unfortunately, I have no idea what and how to fix it.
Maybe you should consider reinstalling.

Zariel

Member

Registered: 2008-10-07

Posts: 446

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

Whats the output of

ldd /usr/bin/pacman

?

prasadr

Member

Registered: 2009-06-23

Posts: 7

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

$ldd /usr/bin/pacman

    linux-gate.so.1 =>  (0xb771b000)
    libalpm.so.5 => /usr/lib/libalpm.so.5 (0x41000000)
    libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x4f3b0000)
    libfetch.so => /usr/lib/libfetch.so (0x4f565000)
    libarchive.so.2 => /lib/libarchive.so.2 (0x4f57b000)
    /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x4f390000)
    libssl.so.1.0.0 => /lib/libssl.so.1.0.0 (0x4fc8a000)
    libcrypto.so.1.0.0 => /lib/libcrypto.so.1.0.0 (0x4fb0e000)
    libacl.so.1 => /lib/libacl.so.1 (0x4f9d5000)
    libattr.so.1 => /lib/libattr.so.1 (0x411bb000)
    libz.so.1 => /lib/libz.so.1 (0x4f546000)
    libbz2.so.1.0 => /lib/libbz2.so.1.0 (0x41376000)
    libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x4f524000)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

pacman works on my system and shows:

[karol@black test]$ ldd /usr/bin/pacman
    linux-gate.so.1 =>  (0xb788d000)
    libalpm.so.5 => /usr/lib/libalpm.so.5 (0xb7859000)
    libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0xb770e000)
    libfetch.so => /usr/lib/libfetch.so (0xb7700000)
    libarchive.so.2 => /usr/lib/libarchive.so.2 (0xb76c0000)
    /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0xb788e000)
    libssl.so.1.0.0 => /usr/lib/libssl.so.1.0.0 (0xb766e000)
    libcrypto.so.1.0.0 => /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.1.0.0 (0xb74f4000)
    libacl.so.1 => /lib/libacl.so.1 (0xb74ed000)
    libattr.so.1 => /lib/libattr.so.1 (0xb74e8000)
    libexpat.so.1 => /usr/lib/libexpat.so.1 (0xb74c2000)
    liblzma.so.0 => /usr/lib/liblzma.so.0 (0xb74a0000)
    libbz2.so.1.0 => /lib/libbz2.so.1.0 (0xb7490000)
    libz.so.1 => /usr/lib/libz.so.1 (0xb747b000)
    libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xb7477000)
    libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0xb745d000)

lilsirecho

Veteran

Registered: 2003-10-24

Posts: 5,000

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

t@n6re ~]# ldd /usr/bin/pacman
        linux-vdso.so.1 =>  (0x00007fffc9bff000)
        libalpm.so.5 => /usr/lib/libalpm.so.5 (0x00007f4c44445000)
        libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0x00007f4c440e9000)
        libfetch.so => /usr/lib/libfetch.so (0x00007f4c43ed9000)
        libarchive.so.2 => /usr/lib/libarchive.so.2 (0x00007f4c43c96000)
        /lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007f4c44668000)
        libssl.so.1.0.0 => /usr/lib/libssl.so.1.0.0 (0x00007f4c43a3a000)
        libcrypto.so.1.0.0 => /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.1.0.0 (0x00007f4c4367e000)
        libacl.so.1 => /lib/libacl.so.1 (0x00007f4c43477000)
        libattr.so.1 => /lib/libattr.so.1 (0x00007f4c43273000)
        libexpat.so.1 => /usr/lib/libexpat.so.1 (0x00007f4c4304b000)
        liblzma.so.0 => /usr/lib/liblzma.so.0 (0x00007f4c42e29000)
        libbz2.so.1.0 => /lib/libbz2.so.1.0 (0x00007f4c42c19000)
        libz.so.1 => /usr/lib/libz.so.1 (0x00007f4c42a01000)
        libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00007f4c427fd000)
        libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007f4c425e0000)
[root@n6re ~]#

---

Prediction...This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit!     X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

prasadr

Member

Registered: 2009-06-23

Posts: 7

Re: pacman throws "unrecognized archive format" error for .xz packages

pacman works on my system and shows:

[karol@black test]$ ldd /usr/bin/pacman
    ...
    libarchive.so.2 => /usr/lib/libarchive.so.2 (0xb76c0000)
    ...

I understood the issue:
  I had an old libarchive lying in /lib, which was being picked every time by pacman.

I am very thankful to you all for your contribution
Please forgive me for the time I took from you all for this n00b issue, but I promise to return the favour:

we wont have to worry anymore if you have deleted your complete /usr folder (bcz I could recover from there)

Please check my other thread:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 74#p827074

Regards,
Prasad