* Tejas Guruswamy [2011-01-19 10:04:27 +0000]:

On 19/01/11 05:46, Philip Amadeo Saeli wrote:

...

What should be my next move from here? Is it possible to rescue this install? If not, is there a way to obtain a copy of the package list and import it into a new, fresh install so I don't have to go thru all the packages looking for the ones I need (a time consuming and tedious process for me).

I found the y2log and the zypp/history log files which contain millions of lines of status between them and which appear to contain all of the packages selected. However, I was not able to locate a simple package list anywhere. If there is not list, anyone know the required format so I could possibly format, e.g., the zypp/history log contents into a suitable file?

Any help would be appreciated!

If all you want is a list of installed packages, try:

rpm -qa > installed-pkgs.txt

or if you just want the names (don't care about versions):

rpm -qa --queryformat="%{NAME}\n" > installed-pkgs.txt

You can do this from a chroot as well, if you're not able to boot the actual system. From the sound of it though, the attempted upgrades may have already mixed up your package list - YMMV

Regards, Tejas

Thanks for the response. This is my second fresh try, so things should not be messed up at this point. However, does anyone know how I can import the list of packages from this failed install into a newly initiated install? I do have a disk partition where I can store the file. I just don't know how to format the file or what info is needed in it. My wish is that there is a file somewhere that I can simply save and import into the new install (hah!). --Phil -- Philip Amadeo Saeli openSUSE, RHEL, CentOS psaeli@zorodyne.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

* Tejas Guruswamy [2011-01-20 11:47:31 +0000]:

On 20/01/11 04:14, Philip Amadeo Saeli wrote:

...

Thanks for the response. This is my second fresh try, so things should not be messed up at this point.

However, does anyone know how I can import the list of packages from this failed install into a newly initiated install? I do have a disk partition where I can store the file. I just don't know how to format the file or what info is needed in it. My wish is that there is a file somewhere that I can simply save and import into the new install (hah!).

--Phil

That's exactly what I was explaining - you run the commands I gave on your failed system, it will create a file with a list of all installed packages. First you need to get a console (text-based, don't bother with trying to get X to start)\ login on the failed installation.

If it boots to runlevel 3 (put "3" at the end of the grub kernel options when booting), use that. At the console login, login as whatever works, preferably root. Then run (don't include the "> ", that's just to distinguish the commands from message text):

...

rpm -qa --queryformat="%{NAME}\n" > installed-pkgs.txt

The package list "installed-pkgs.txt" will be in the current directory (probably the home folder for whatever user you logged in as, /root if you logged in as root), copy it away however you can.

...

mkdir /mnt/root mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/root (assuming /dev/sda1 is the

Otherwise, if you can't get the failed system to boot, you need to do a chroot recovery. This means, from a console prompt on a livecd/or other working installation on the same computer: partition with the failed install)

...

mount --bind /dev /mnt/root/dev chroot /mnt/root mount /proc mount /sys

Now you will be logged in, as root, to the failed install. Next execute the rpm command - a file "installed-pkgs.txt" will appear in the current directory.

...

rpm -qa --queryformat="%{NAME}\n" > installed-pkgs.txt

Exit the chroot

...

exit The file with all the installed packages will be in /mnt/root/installed-pkgs.txt. Use whatever method you're comfortable with to get it copied to your working install.

On your new system, to use this file, try something like:

...

cat installed-pkgs.txt | xargs zypper in

Regards, Tejas

[OK, I've finally been able to get back to this system install] Thanks for the careful explanation, Tejas. However, that still doesn't address the problem as I'd attempted to describe. The problem is that I'd like to be able to import the package list into a new install run, but I did not know the format for the package list. (Actually, I had truly wished that I could have rescued the install that had failed only because it was unable to successfully execute the fetchmsttfonts script. However, I had to abandon that install in order to use the computer for other things. I finally was able to get back to the install and restarted a fresh install (3rd try) and, at the "Software Selection and System Tasks" page, I clicked the "Details..." button to get the detailed package selection screen. Under the "File" menu there are "Import..." and "Export..." menu items. I have been looking for a way to get a list of the installed packages so I can then import it via the "Import..." menu item. However, the import and export functions expect the list to be in XML format with specific metadata. Anyone know how I may obtain or generate that list from the package lists I have (i.e., output of "rpm -qa" and output of "rpm -qa --queryformat="%{NAME}\n"). I did a search through the entire partially installed system but was not able to find a package list in the needed format. I'd very much like to avoid having to go through the tedious and lengthly package selection process yet another time. Any help would be appreciated. However, *please* read the question so that the time you take to address them will be well spent! Thanks, --Phil -- Philip Amadeo Saeli openSUSE, RHEL, CentOS psaeli@zorodyne.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

On Sunday 30 January 2011 05:48:12 Tejas Guruswamy wrote: <snipped>

If you absolutely insist on importing into the install, you could try running "/sbin/yast2" inside the chroot, and navigate the ncurses-menus to the Software Installer and xml-export. YMMV.

If this works (please report) I will travel back in time and kick myself :-) thx! Carl -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

[Resending this, to the list] * Tejas Guruswamy [2011-01-30 10:48:12 +0000]:

On 30/01/11 04:04, Philip Amadeo Saeli wrote:

...

* Tejas Guruswamy [2011-01-20 11:47:31 +0000]:

...

On your new system, to use this file, try something like:

...

cat installed-pkgs.txt | xargs zypper in

I'd very much like to avoid having to go through the tedious and lengthly package selection process yet another time. Any help would be appreciated. However, *please* read the question so that the time you take to address them will be well spent!

Thanks,

--Phil

All I can say is please read my answer carefully as well - I *have* given you a full method to do exactly what you ask. During the install choose a basic/minimal system (one of the presets), and once it's up and running, use the command I gave (above) to fix the package selection. I don't recommend fiddling with package lists during the install, which is why I gave the advice I did, and not the advice you apparently wanted to hear.

If you absolutely insist on importing into the install, you could try running "/sbin/yast2" inside the chroot, and navigate the ncurses-menus to the Software Installer and xml-export. YMMV.

Regards, Tejas

Thanks for the clarification. The solution context you provide in the first paragraph above makes all the difference for me. Most of the steps you provided in the previous messages gave me no information I did not already know quite well, and I was unable discern your intent in providing them. Hence I didn't believe you were addressing the question I'd asked. In actuality, I was attempting to find the shortest path between a system with all RPMs installed on it but which was largely unconfigured to a fully installed and configured one. Your answer in the first paragraph above answers that quite well, esp the part WRT your recommendation to avoid fiddling with package lists during the install. I ended up starting the install over from scratch a third time, this time from the install DVD (I did this prior to receiving your message and so was not able to try running yast2 in a chroot). I did *not* add any online repos to the install. Apparently, from the bug reports[1],[2] related to the problem I'd run in to, including the Update repo in an initial install triggers this problem (I'd included the update repo in hopes of saving some time in the install and update by doing it all at once. I've now learned my lesson about doing that!). The install auto-ran update twice (once for the package management stack and once for everything else), and everything seemed to install and work OK. I am now in the process of customizing the system settings and will install pkgs from additional repos after that. Looks like, other than the fetchmsttfonts failures leading to completely failed installs(!?!), the install process has matured quite a bit from previous releases (the most recent of which I have any install experience is 10.1). Looking forward to getting to use my newly installed openSUSE 11.3 system. Of course, in all likeliness, once I get everything dialed in and working just like I like it, 11.4 will have been released and I will be tempted to upgrade .... --Phil [1] Bug 638734 - no install possible with update repo [2] Bug 633447 - Update Installation from 11.2 to 11.3 fails with unbootable system -- Philip Amadeo Saeli openSUSE, RHEL, CentOS psaeli@zorodyne.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org