[TAG] segmentation fault in aptitude

[Benjamin A. Okopnik]

On Tue, Apr 12, 2005 at 09:00:00AM +0530, Joydeep Bakshi wrote:
> On Thursday 07 Apr 2005 8:55 pm, Benjamin A. Okopnik wrote:
> 
> > > > 3) You may have a damaged dependencies database (probably the largest
> > > > possibility.)
> > > >
> > > > 4) You may have a damaged "apt-get" binary.
> > >
> > > is it possible to fix the above mentioned problems  [point 3) and 4)] ?
> >
> > Well... for the second case, you can just reinstall 'apt-get' by
> > downloading the package and using "dpkg"... actually, that would be an
> > interesting test on its own. If "dpkg" doesn't see any problems with the
> > database, then it's definitely a problem in apt-get itself. Try running
> > "dpkg -C" and let us know the results, please.
> >
> HURRAY ! my apt has started working. I have just executed *dselect* command 
> and activated *Update available packages* option. and it did a package list 
> check successfully. after that aptitude again starts working. but it is still 
> a mystery that what was the problem and how dselect has solved it.

>From the "dselect" man page:

  dselect operates as a front-end to dpkg(8), the low-level debian
  package handling tool.

  [ ... ]

  Various access methods can be configured to retrieve available package
  version information and installable packages from  package
  repositories.   Depending  on the used access method, these
  repositories can be public archive servers on the internet, local
  archive servers or cdroms.  The recommended access method is apt,
  which is provided by the package apt.

It sounds to me as if you had a damaged database - and "dselect" rebuilt
it. The interesting part, however, is that 'dselect' is only a wrapper
for 'dpkg' and 'apt-get', so it theoretically should have had the same
problems. I'm starting to believe that Thomas was right, and you have a
memory problem.

> any how I 
> should give thanks to all of you who responded to my mail and tried to help 
> me to solve the problem.  happy linuxing.

You're welcome - and thanks for giving us the wrap-up details!


* Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://linuxgazette.net *