[Wolves] sudo apt-get update

[Adam Sweet]

Steve Wilson wrote:
> Still having problems with the above command. Here's what happens:
> 
> user at ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get update
> Err http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid Release.gpg                                                                       
>   Could not resolve ‘gb.archive.ubuntu.com’

Are you typing this email on the same machine which has this problem? Do
you use a router over the network or a directly attached modem (either
DSL or dialup)?

Assuming you use a router as most people do these days, this sounds like
your network isn't set up correctly, either you have no DNS servers, no
default gateway or no network settings at all. Take a look at Network
Manager in the top right hand corner of your screen. Right click it and
look at Connection Information. Make sure you have a default gateway and
DNS entries.

Most routers use DHCP to automatically assign network settings when
machines boot. It's possible that you are either not using DHCP, your
router is handing out the wrong network settings or you're just can't
communicate with your router.

On the command line (ie Gnome Terminal) type:

/sbin/ifconfig

and mail it to the list.

Not sure how familiar you are with networking, but your default gateway
is your route out onto the Internet. Any traffic which isn't to a
machine on your local network will be sent here and your router will
send it straight out over the Internet.

DNS servers translate human memorable server, computer or domain names
into numerical (or hex addresses in IPv6) addresses which computers use
to communicate. Could not resolve ‘gb.archive.ubuntu.com’ means that it
could not get an IP address for gb.archive.ubuntu.com from your DNS
servers. This would be the case if you have no DNS servers set up or if
your DNS servers can't be contacted either because you don't have a
default gateway set up or your Internet connection is down, your router
is off, the link between yourself and your router or modem is down and
any number of other reasons.

First, see if your web browser works. Go to any particular website. If
you get some kind of 'Page Could not be Found' error then you obviously
have a problem.

If you have a router then try to ping it from the command line, with:

ping 123.123.123.123

where 123.123.123.123 is the IP of your router. If you don't like the
command line there is a graphical Network Tools err... tool under System
> Administration.

If that fails, then you can't communicate with your router and you need
to look at why. If it works, try a DNS lookup. I always use
mail.yahoo.com for some reason:

dig mail.yahoo.com

This should be reasonably instantaneous and give you a DNS listing for
mail.yahoo.com. If it goes away for a few seconds before telling you no
DNS servers could be reached then you either have no DNS servers or you
can't contact them. Again, there could be many reasons. if it does work,
then I'm not sure why you can't resolve it.

Try:

dig gb.archive.ubuntu.com

for me that returns the IP 194.169.254.10.

Hope that helps a little. If you tell us more about your network setup,
we might be able to diagnose it better.

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