[Wolves] How do I unlock apt get?

Kevanf1 kevanf1 at gmail.com
Tue Jan 8 14:52:00 GMT 2008


On 20/12/2007, Adam Sweet <drinky76 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- Kevanf1 <kevanf1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Ok, it is the gui updater on Kubuntu 7.10 which is
> > of course 'adept'.
> > It locked up when I tried to install Java, I know...
> >  but I needed it
> > as I was going through the router logs and Firefox
> > asked for the Java
> > plug in so I fired up adept....blah, blah, blah.
> > That didn't work and
> > threw up an error stating that it would break
> > something if it
> > continued to install.  I cam out of that and tried
> > again only to find
> > it locked.  I did find that the same had happened to
> > somebody else
> > when they tried to install Java (not the latest
> > version either).
> > Anyway, I know that there is a very simply command
> > that is entered at
> > the CLI that will release apt and subsequently
> > adept.  I just can't
> > find it :-(  I thought somebody had mentioned it on
> > here before?
> > Maybe I'm wrong?  Until I can unlock it I can't
> > update my Kubuntu box
> > and hence I am open to security vulnerabilites :-(
>
> What exactly do the error messages say? An application
> locking up and unlocking an application are 2
> different things. The subtleties in the wording of the
> message may help us understand what the problem is.
> Describing the problem without including the error
> messages only gives us your understanding of what's
> happening, which may not be correct.
>
> I'm assuming that adept is a front end to apt, rather
> than aptitude or dpkg, so you could close adept after
> your error message and so:
>
> ps ax | grep apt
>
> or
>
> ps ax | grep adept
>
> on the command line. This will show you if any
> processes are clinging to apt or adept. Also, try the
> following:
>
> lsof | grep apt
>
> or
>
> lsof | grep adept
>
> (lsof = LiSt Open Files)
>
> after closing adept following your error. This will
> tell you if there are any files open with apt or adept
> in the filename or directory path.
>
> There's a chance you will see something in one of the
> above commands if there is something clinging to apt
> or adept, grep won't tell you if there are no results.
> If it's a lock file left open after adept has closed
> then it may be safe to remove it, but first you need
> to check whether any apt processes are using it, lsof
> and ps should have told you this, but we'll carry on
> anyway.
>
> First try running apt-get manually:
>
> sudo apt-get update
>
> What does it say? Anything about another apt process
> running?
>
> Try installing java (I assume you want the
> not-yet-Free Sun Java runtime and plugin):
>
> sudo apt-get install sun-java5-jre sun-java-plugin
>
> It will either install it for you or throw you an
> error. If it somes back with an error, tell us what it
> is.
>
> Either way, you have just learned how to see a list of
> running processes, list open files and grep them for
> certain phrases :)
>
> Ad
>
> --
>
> http://blog.adamsweet.org/
>

Ok, I've deliberately left the whole of that post in place so that
everybody knows what was going on.  I had wanted to get it sorted way
before Xmas but..... health problems took over and meant I couldn't
get out to my workshop where this PC is situated :-(

I tried the suggestions by Adam, thank you mate :-)  It threw up an
error but, with the suggestion that I try dpkg --configure -a (in sudo
of course).  This did the trick :-) yippee.  Adept Manager is now
unlocked again and I'm up to date.

Again, thank you Adam for the help :-)

ps. I happened to check in my note book...guess what I found?  Only
the bleeding solution all along...DOH!!!!!!!
-- 
==============================================

Kevan Farmer
Linux user #373362
Staffordshire



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