Arch Linux

rg_arc

Member

Registered: 2011-03-20

Posts: 507

Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

Hey guys,

So to start from the top, I re installed Arch Linux after cleaning up my partitions so that Arch Linux can be on a primary partition (instead of a logical) which will mean that only Windows and Arch Linux will be on my system.

What me and friend did was to put my original root information (such as /etc /var /usr...) onto my external hard drive as back up before we did a re install. We finished with the re install and then we extracted the root partition so that all of the information is preserved. Of course, there were several complications such as fixing several files and changing around several things to make it work. Everything works just like before...except now I am getting this error message after trying a new pacman update:

Status Legend:
 (OK):download completed.
error: duplicated database entry 'python-paramiko'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-server'
error: duplicated database entry 'libxi'
error: duplicated database entry 'xinetd'
error: duplicated database entry 'gcc-libs'
error: duplicated database entry 'pixman'
error: duplicated database entry 'evolution-data-server'
error: duplicated database entry 'gcc'
error: duplicated database entry 'gawk'
error: duplicated database entry 'orca'
error: duplicated database entry 'vinagre'
error: duplicated database entry 'python'
error: duplicated database entry 'esound'
error: duplicated database entry 'smbclient'
error: duplicated database entry 'iproute2'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-server-common'
error: duplicated database entry 'krb5'
error: duplicated database entry 'udisks'
error: duplicated database entry 'glproto'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-xwininfo'
error: duplicated database entry 'perl'
error: duplicated database entry 'syslog-ng'
error: duplicated database entry 'mdadm'
error: duplicated database entry 'libldap'
error: duplicated database entry 'pam'
error: duplicated database entry 'tzdata'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-xkbcomp'
error: duplicated database entry 'db'
error: duplicated database entry 'device-mapper'
error: duplicated database entry 'parted'
error: duplicated database entry 'pacman-mirrorlist'
error: duplicated database entry 'libxrandr'
error: duplicated database entry 'libproxy'
error: duplicated database entry 'obexd-client'
error: duplicated database entry 'iana-etc'
error: duplicated database entry 'mkinitcpio'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-xprop'
error: duplicated database entry 'pygtk'
error: duplicated database entry 'imagemagick'
error: duplicated database entry 'dnsutils'
error: duplicated database entry 'xf86-input-synaptics'
error: duplicated database entry 'gnome-disk-utility'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-xrandr'
error: duplicated database entry 'libsasl'
error: duplicated database entry 'libcups'
error: duplicated database entry 'usbutils'
error: duplicated database entry 'libgcrypt'
error: duplicated database entry 'vino'
error: duplicated database entry 'upower'
error: duplicated database entry 'poppler-glib'
error: duplicated database entry 'gnutls'
error: duplicated database entry 'bluez'
error: duplicated database entry 'logrotate'
error: duplicated database entry 'gmp'
error: duplicated database entry 'xorg-mkfontscale'
error: duplicated database entry 'lvm2'
error: duplicated database entry 'avahi'
error: duplicated database entry 'cryptsetup'
error: duplicated database entry 'telepathy-mission-control'
error: duplicated database entry 'xproto'
error: duplicated database entry 'file'
error: duplicated database entry 'aspell'
error: duplicated database entry 'gjs'
error: duplicated database entry 'kernel26'
error: duplicated database entry 'libgpg-error'
error: duplicated database entry 'libxcursor'
error: duplicated database entry 'gnome-shell'
error: duplicated database entry 'poppler'
error: duplicated database entry 'libpng'
error: duplicated database entry 'cheese'
error: duplicated database entry 'gdm'
error: duplicated database entry 'python2'
error: duplicated database entry 'telepathy-glib'
:: Starting full system upgrade...
resolving dependencies...
looking for inter-conflicts...

Targets (88): gcc-libs-4.6.1-2  db-5.2.28-1  libsasl-2.1.23-6  libldap-2.4.26-3
              apr-util-1.3.12-2  aspell-0.60.6.1-1  avahi-0.6.30-4  bluez-4.95-1
              python2-2.7.2-2  bzr-2.3.4-1  chromium-12.0.742.124-1  cmake-2.8.5-1
              cmus-2.4.2-1  compiz-core-0.8.8-1  compiz-bcop-0.8.8-1  libxml++-2.34.1-1
              libcompizconfig-0.8.8-1  compizconfig-backend-gconf-0.8.8-1
              compiz-fusion-plugins-main-0.8.8-1  compiz-fusion-plugins-extra-0.8.8-1
              cryptsetup-1.3.1-2  cups-1.4.7-2  dash-0.5.7-1  dconf-0.8.0-1
              emerald-0.8.8-1  esound-0.2.41-2  evolution-data-server-3.0.2.1-2
              evolution-exchange-3.0.2-2  libva-1.0.13-1  ffmpeg-20110724-1
              perl-5.14.1-3  foomatic-db-1:4.0.7_20110707-1
              foomatic-filters-1:4.0.7_20110707-1  foomatic-db-engine-1:4.0.7_20110707-1
              upower-0.9.12-1  gdm-3.0.4-2  gjs-0.7.14-2  parted-3.0-2  lvm2-2.02.86-1
              udisks-1.0.3-5  gnome-disk-utility-3.0.2-1  gnome-vfs-2.24.4-4
              gtkmm-2.24.2-1  imagemagick-6.7.1.0-1  kernel26-2.6.39.3-1
              libgpg-error-1.10-1  usbmuxd-1.0.7-1  libimobiledevice-1.1.1-1
              raptor-2.0.3-3  liblrdf-0.4.0-8  libmysqlclient-5.5.14-2  libpng-1.4.8-1
              libproxy-0.4.7-1  libxrandr-1.3.2-1  rasqal-1:0.9.26-1  redland-1:1.0.13-4
              libreoffice-3.4.1-2  libsigc++-2.2.10-1
              mobile-broadband-provider-info-20110511-1  net-snmp-5.6.1-3
              obexd-client-0.42-1  orca-3.0.3-1  p7zip-9.20.1-4  poppler-glib-0.16.7-1
              procps-3.2.8-4  python-3.2.1-1  pywebkitgtk-1.1.8-1  redshift-1.7-1
              rp-pppoe-3.10-7  screenlets-0.1.2-6  subversion-1.6.17-6  syslog-ng-3.2.4-3
              system-config-printer-common-1.3.4-1  system-config-printer-gnome-1.3.4-1
              telepathy-glib-0.15.4-1  telepathy-haze-0.5.0-1
              telepathy-mission-control-5.8.0-1  telepathy-salut-0.5.1-1  usbutils-003-1
              vino-3.0.3-1  wine-1.3.25-1  xinetd-2.3.14-7  xorg-mkfontscale-1.0.9-1
              xorg-xkbcomp-1.2.3-1  xorg-server-common-1.10.3-1  xorg-xprop-1.2.1-1
              xproto-7.0.22-1  xulrunner-5.0-1

Total Download Size:    0.00 MB
Total Installed Size:   1174.59 MB

So I have duplicate entries in the /var/lib/pacman/local file? I know using pacman that I can delete the other entries right? I just can't find out how to find the other entry and delete it.. Also, I wonder if there may be another problem I am not seeing?

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

Have a look at /var/lib/pacman/local - if you see dupes, nuke it and restore the db from your backup again.

rg_arc

Member

Registered: 2011-03-20

Posts: 507

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

I actually did look at that file... and I don't see any duplicates to be honest. So I am just not sure why its not updating still

toofishes

Developer

From: Chicago, IL

Registered: 2006-06-06

Posts: 602

Website

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

Restoring /var/lib/pacman/local from backup is a bad idea; your database will be out of sync with reality that way. If you do something like `ls /var/lib/pacman/local/gcc*` (post the output here too), you'll see plenty of duplicates- gcc will be there at least twice (with different versions), so will gcc-libs, etc.

You need to either decide to do a reinstall or a restore from backup- mixing the two like this isn't going to work.

rg_arc

Member

Registered: 2011-03-20

Posts: 507

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

Well... I don't really want to do a fresh re install I just did that and also used a backup file for restoring my root partition. There must be some way to delete these files.

$ ls /var/lib/pacman/local/gcc*
/var/lib/pacman/local/gcc-4.6.1-1:
desc  files  install

/var/lib/pacman/local/gcc-4.6.1-2:
desc  files  install

/var/lib/pacman/local/gcc-libs-4.6.1-1:
desc  files  install

/var/lib/pacman/local/gcc-libs-4.6.1-2:
desc  files  install
$

toofishes

Developer

From: Chicago, IL

Registered: 2006-06-06

Posts: 602

Website

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

You didn't "restore your root partition". You overwrote every damn file your reinstall installed, and then added a bunch more out of date stuff. This is like adding red and green paint together in a bucket and wondering why you got brown paint out instead of seeing beautiful red and green colors.

Choose a 1) reinstall, or 2) restore from backup, not both. I can't help you more than that.

lukaszan

Member

Registered: 2011-05-05

Posts: 117

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

/etc - you could get away with overwriting it wholesale (not recommended still, better select specific files)
/var - maybe some stuff, i.e databases, some logs(?)

Everything else - no.

Awebb

Member

Registered: 2010-05-06

Posts: 6,286

Re: Pacman duel entries after an interesting arch linux re install

You guys need to be more selective when restoring backups. When I have to reinstall Arch for some reason, I create a list of explicitly installed packages, backup /etc, /var, /opt and /usr/local (AFAIK no package writes files in /usr/local, correct me if I'm wrong), install a fresh Arch, install all the packages from my list and then selectively copy files from the backup. That is:
- /etc files I made changes to (I always leave a comment with a timestamp, but you should know what you changed)
- the pacman package cache (for easy downgrading)
- /usr/local/ stuff. I usually take that chance to clean it up a bit (if it got messy for some reason).
- some of the logs from /var/log.

This pretty much follows the concept of a fresh Arch system: Install what you need and selectively make changes to the system, instead of porting over a blob of junk and clean it up afterwards. You might also want to do some changes manually again, some things are forgotten over the years and need a refresh.