gdebi

gdebi response: Software index is broken

Asked by wolf

I have deleted some files for my closed-source CAD package, assuming that this is all I need to do to upgrade to a newer version of the same package. Now, gdebi responds with

Software index is broken
This is a major failure of your software management system. Please check for broken packages with synaptic, check the file permissions and correctness of the file '/etc/apt/sources.list' and reload the software information with: 'sudo apt-get update' and 'sudo apt-get install -f'.

'/etc/apt/sources.list' does not contain the information where to find the installation package (its on my hard disk), since it stores only remote addresses. Thus, 'sudo apt-get update' and 'sudo apt-get install -f' do not change anything. I have tried.
Synaptic refuses to start, with message

E: The package varicad2012-en needs to be reinstalled, but I can't find an archive for it.
E: Internal error opening cache (1). Please report.

Do you have any suggestion to get out of this situation? What I want to have installed is varicad2013-en, not varicad2012-en.

Thank you

wolf

Question information

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Solved by:
Manfred Hampl
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Revision history for this message
Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#1

For verifying your package management system please provide the output of the following commands:

uname -a
lsb_release -crid
sudo dpkg --audit
ls -l /etc/apt/sources.list*
ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Revision history for this message
wolf (wv99999) said : 		#2

uname -a
Linux wolf-desktop 4.4.0-21-generic #37-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 18 18:33:37
UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

lsb_release -crid
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
Release: 16.04
Codename: xenial

sudo dpkg --audit
[sudo] password for wolf:
The following packages are in a mess due to serious problems during
installation. They must be reinstalled for them (and any packages
that depend on them) to function properly:
  varicad2012-en VariCAD -- 3D&2D CAD system

The following packages are only half configured, probably due to problems
configuring them the first time. The configuration should be retried using
dpkg --configure <package> or the configure menu option in dselect:
  varicad2013-view-en VariCAD Viewer -- 3D&2D CAD system

ls -l /etc/apt/sources.list*
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 3029 May 5 08:49 /etc/apt/sources.list
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 3030 May 5 08:49 /etc/apt/sources.list.save

/etc/apt/sources.list.d:
total 0

ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 170080 Apr 21 10:08 /var/lib/dpkg/available
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status
-rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Apr 29 20:31 /var/lib/dpkg/statuslock
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status-old

ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 170080 Apr 21 10:08 /var/lib/dpkg/available
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status
-rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Apr 29 20:31 /var/lib/dpkg/statuslock
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status-old
wolf@wolf-desktop:~$ sudo apt-get update
Get:1 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease [247 kB]
Get:2 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates InRelease [93.3
kB]
Hit:3 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-backports InRelease
Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security InRelease [92.2 kB]
Get:5 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64
Packages [45.8 kB]
Get:6 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main i386
Packages [45.8 kB]
Get:7 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main
Translation-en [17.3 kB]
Get:8 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64
Packages [10.7 kB]
Get:9 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe i386
Packages [10.7 kB]
Get:10 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe
Translation-en [7,484 B]
Hit:11 http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease
Get:12 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main amd64
Packages [35.1 kB]
Get:13 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main i386
Packages [35.1 kB]
Get:14 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main
Translation-en [11.8 kB]
Get:15 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe amd64
Packages [6,076 B]
Get:16 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe i386
Packages [6,068 B]
Get:17 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe
Translation-en [4,092 B]
Fetched 668 kB in 1s (373 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: The package varicad2012-en needs to be reinstalled, but I can't find
an archive for it.
On 06/05/16 01:22, Manfred Hampl wrote:

I hope this helps. As I wrote before, the archive apt-get is looking for
is on my hard disk, and apt-get does not know it. The problem arose when
I installed varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb instead of
varicad2013-view-en_1.03_amd64.deb, after installing Xenial. As I
couldn't find an uninstaller for it, I deleted all files named
'varicad*' I could find. This is the output of gdebi now:

wolf@wolf-desktop:~$ cd /media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD
wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ ls varicad*
varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb varicad2013-view-en_1.03_amd64.deb
varicadManual.pdf
varicad2013-en_1.02_amd64.deb varicad2013-view-en_2.04_amd64.deb
wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ gdebi
varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Error opening the cache:
E:The package varicad2012-en needs to be reinstalled, but I can't find
an archive for it.
wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$

All commands you requested have been executed in the sequence as listed
here. As it stands, neither synaptic nor muon permit me to download any
further packages.
wolf
> Your question #293296 on gdebi changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/gdebi/+question/293296
>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> Manfred Hampl requested more information:
> For verifying your package management system please provide the output
> of the following commands:
>
> uname -a
> lsb_release -crid
> sudo dpkg --audit
> ls -l /etc/apt/sources.list*
> ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
> sudo apt-get update
> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
>

Revision history for this message
wolf (wv99999) said : 		#3

to add to my mail, I have now tried the recommendations given by dpkg
--audit:

wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ sudo dpkg --configure
varicad2012-en
dpkg: error processing package varicad2012-en (--configure): package is
in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before
attempting configuration
Errors were encountered while processing: varicad2012-en

sudo dpkg-reconfigure varicad2012-en
/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: varicad2012-en is broken or not fully installed
wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ sudo dpkg --configure
varicad2012-en
dpkg: error processing package varicad2012-en (--configure): package is
in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before
attempting configuration
Errors were encountered while processing: varicad2012-en

sudo dpkg --configure varicad2012-en
dpkg: error processing package varicad2012-en (--configure): package is
in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before
attempting configuration
Errors were encountered while processing: varicad2012-en

wolf

On 06/05/16 09:32, wolf wrote:
> Your question #293296 on gdebi changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/gdebi/+question/293296
>
> Status: Needs information => Open
>
> You gave more information on the question:
> uname -a
> Linux wolf-desktop 4.4.0-21-generic #37-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 18 18:33:37
> UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
>
> lsb_release -crid
> Distributor ID: Ubuntu
> Description: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
> Release: 16.04
> Codename: xenial
>
> sudo dpkg --audit
> [sudo] password for wolf:
> The following packages are in a mess due to serious problems during
> installation. They must be reinstalled for them (and any packages
> that depend on them) to function properly:
> varicad2012-en VariCAD -- 3D&2D CAD system
>
> The following packages are only half configured, probably due to problems
> configuring them the first time. The configuration should be retried using
> dpkg --configure <package> or the configure menu option in dselect:
> varicad2013-view-en VariCAD Viewer -- 3D&2D CAD system
>
> ls -l /etc/apt/sources.list*
> -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 3029 May 5 08:49 /etc/apt/sources.list
> -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 3030 May 5 08:49 /etc/apt/sources.list.save
>
> /etc/apt/sources.list.d:
> total 0
>
> ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 170080 Apr 21 10:08 /var/lib/dpkg/available
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> -rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Apr 29 20:31 /var/lib/dpkg/statuslock
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status-old
>
> ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 170080 Apr 21 10:08 /var/lib/dpkg/available
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> -rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Apr 29 20:31 /var/lib/dpkg/statuslock
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2281308 May 4 10:16 /var/lib/dpkg/status-old
> wolf@wolf-desktop:~$ sudo apt-get update
> Get:1 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease [247 kB]
> Get:2 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates InRelease [93.3
> kB]
> Hit:3 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-backports InRelease
> Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security InRelease [92.2 kB]
> Get:5 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64
> Packages [45.8 kB]
> Get:6 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main i386
> Packages [45.8 kB]
> Get:7 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main
> Translation-en [17.3 kB]
> Get:8 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64
> Packages [10.7 kB]
> Get:9 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe i386
> Packages [10.7 kB]
> Get:10 http://nz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe
> Translation-en [7,484 B]
> Hit:11 http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease
> Get:12 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main amd64
> Packages [35.1 kB]
> Get:13 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main i386
> Packages [35.1 kB]
> Get:14 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/main
> Translation-en [11.8 kB]
> Get:15 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe amd64
> Packages [6,076 B]
> Get:16 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe i386
> Packages [6,068 B]
> Get:17 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security/universe
> Translation-en [4,092 B]
> Fetched 668 kB in 1s (373 kB/s)
> Reading package lists... Done
>
> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree
> Reading state information... Done
> E: The package varicad2012-en needs to be reinstalled, but I can't find
> an archive for it.
> On 06/05/16 01:22, Manfred Hampl wrote:
>
> I hope this helps. As I wrote before, the archive apt-get is looking for
> is on my hard disk, and apt-get does not know it. The problem arose when
> I installed varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb instead of
> varicad2013-view-en_1.03_amd64.deb, after installing Xenial. As I
> couldn't find an uninstaller for it, I deleted all files named
> 'varicad*' I could find. This is the output of gdebi now:
>
> wolf@wolf-desktop:~$ cd /media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD
> wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ ls varicad*
> varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb varicad2013-view-en_1.03_amd64.deb
> varicadManual.pdf
> varicad2013-en_1.02_amd64.deb varicad2013-view-en_2.04_amd64.deb
> wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$ gdebi
> varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree
> Reading state information... Done
> Error opening the cache:
> E:The package varicad2012-en needs to be reinstalled, but I can't find
> an archive for it.
> wolf@wolf-desktop:/media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD$
>
> All commands you requested have been executed in the sequence as listed
> here. As it stands, neither synaptic nor muon permit me to download any
> further packages.
> wolf
>> Your question #293296 on gdebi changed:
>> https://answers.launchpad.net/gdebi/+question/293296
>>
>> Status: Open => Needs information
>>
>> Manfred Hampl requested more information:
>> For verifying your package management system please provide the output
>> of the following commands:
>>
>> uname -a
>> lsb_release -crid
>> sudo dpkg --audit
>> ls -l /etc/apt/sources.list*
>> ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/status* /var/lib/dpkg/available*
>> sudo apt-get update
>> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
>>

Revision history for this message
Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#4

Try the commands

cd /media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD
sudo dpkg -i varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -P varicad2012-en

and then re-try installing varicad2013-en with gdebi or installing it with the command
sudo dpkg -i varicad2013-en_1.02_amd64.deb

Revision history for this message
wolf (wv99999) said : 		#5

Thank you, that worked
wolf

On 06/05/16 19:02, Manfred Hampl wrote:
> Your question #293296 on gdebi changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/gdebi/+question/293296
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Manfred Hampl proposed the following answer:
> Try the commands
>
> cd /media/Downloads/CAD/VariCAD
> sudo dpkg -i varicad2012-en_2.07_amd64.deb
> sudo dpkg -P varicad2012-en
>
> and then re-try installing varicad2013-en with gdebi or installing it with the command
> sudo dpkg -i varicad2013-en_1.02_amd64.deb
>

Revision history for this message
Best Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#6

If you have now the right version of your software installed, and no other problem is visible, please set this question document to 'solved'.

Revision history for this message
wolf (wv99999) said : 		#7

Thanks Manfred Hampl, that solved my question.