* Tejas Guruswamy <tejas.guruswamy@opensuse.org> [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