[GLLUG] Updating

[Chris Bell]

On Monday, 18 February 2019 08:49:03 GMT John Winters via GLLUG wrote:
> On 17/02/2019 17:27, Chris Bell via GLLUG wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I have a computer running KDE on Debian Stretch that will usually not
> > allow
> > aptitude to "u" (update the list of available packages) because
> > /var/lib/apt/ lists/lock is open. I can delete the lock and then "u",
> > sometimes finding that lists were not already up to date. It is one of
> > three computers running Apt- Cacher NG which could be locking the lists,
> > two with KDE while the third is not running a desktop, but only one shows
> > the problem.
> > Any suggestions why? Thanks.
> 
> You missed out the crucial information - which one is showing the problem?
> 
I am running Apt- Cacher NG on the firewall, mainly for RaspberryPi units in 
the DMZ, there is no desktop. No problems.
I have one box running KDE and  Apt- Cacher NG which has given previous 
intermittent problems.
Another box runs KDE, Apt- Cacher NG mainly for security updates, and a 
partial Debian mirror which is updated overnight using ftpsync, although that 
should not need to touch /var/lib/apt/lists/. The current lock shows it was 
created 14.29 on 3rd February, so not recent or overnight. Something is 
creating the lock but not clearing it, so that is probably when I last deleted 
it. KDE does sometimes flag that an update is available, yet if I remove the 
lock I sometimes find that there are important updates available that had not 
been flagged. This is usually just after I had updated other computers.

> John
> 
> P.S.  Pet hate - the latest idea that because Windows can't manage
> updates without a re-boot, now Linux has to do a re-boot too.  Uuugh!

Debian does not always require a re-boot, although individual packages may 
still require a configuration re-load. I normally use aptitude, and carefully 
watch its progress for any re-boot requests, usually when there is a major 
kernel update.

-- 
Chris Bell
Website http://chrisbell.org.uk