Packages oddities… (varnish can't be uninstalled, etc.)
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Got a few odd things happening with optional packages.
the first is that several packages would always show up double in the dashboard, some would even remain in the dashboard after having been deinstalled.
So to try and fix that, I wanted to deinstall all optional packages. However, it looks like the varnish package is no longer available, so it couldn't be properly reinstalled after a system upgrade, nor can it be uninstalled, because the package is gone, but the menu entries for varnish are still there and throw errors when selected.How do I get rid of it now? I think when packages are made unavailable, at least a dummy package should remain that installs nothing, but allows for a deinstallation of the zombie install that someone might end up with after a system upgrade when the reinstall all packages fails due to the missing package.
Any way to fix these issues?
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Varnish is only available on 64-bit installs, you must have "upgraded" your install to x86 at some point.
Usually you can uninstall any package from the package manager but if that doesn't work, we need more details about exactly what happens when you try.
If you are referring to them showing up multiple times in the Services Status widget, I have seen that happen before. There are multiple service definitions in the config for the package, and the extras need removed. This should probably have some sanity checking done during the package install.
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We really need to maintain dummy packages for optional packages that are removed from the repository, otherwise more ppl will get stuck like me. I had varnish installed as a test, varnish must then have been removed from the repository and I did an upgrade to a more recent build.
reinstall all of course then failed on varnish, and I now have a zombie package that's neither recognized as being installed, nor can it be uninstalled, but it shows up in the dashboard and the menus and happily throws errors and throws off the package system.Unless someone has a solution, this means I'll have to reinstall from scratch…
An explanation why some packages have a habit of showing up double in the dashboard after a while is also not yet known to me, and since nobody had an a newer in that regards, likely worth investigating. If I deinstall the packages in question both entries go away, when I reinstall, both entries are back and thus the double appearance persists through system upgrades.
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"Dummy" packages would cause more confusion than anything else, especially in your case since Varnish has not been removed – it is just not available on x86. Listing it on x86 would lead to people trying to install the "dummy" package.
Packages which are removed from the repo still show up under the installed packages list, and if they can't be removed from there, that is the real bug.
As for multiple services, it's just that they get added multiple times if a package isn't completely removed cleanly.
As for fixing your situation, you'll need to download a config backup, edit out the package info, and restore the backup. Welcome to BETA software. :-)
It will be improved before release, as always, but there are still rough edges.
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Varnish is only available on 64-bit installs, you must have "upgraded" your install to x86 at some point.
I did a reinstall from scratch, but I restored the saved configuration, which should have been safe.
So if varnish never was available as an i386 package, then the restored config must have played some tricks during system upgrades, because I then must have simply assumed it was installed, never got around to testing it, and…Usually you can uninstall any package from the package manager but if that doesn't work, we need more details about exactly what happens when you try.
the package simply doesn't show up in the installed packages, nor in the installable packages, so I can't deinstall, I also can't reinstall and follow that with a deinstall, so I'm stuck. I'd have to reinstall the amd64 version of the OS, reinstall varnish, restore my config, then deinstall varnish, then save my config again, reinstall the i386 version of the OS, restore my config, and then hope the varnish traces are gone. But since a variety of package config data seems to persist de- and reinstall (otherwise the config would get lost each time I upgrade to a newer snapshot), that's not even close to be a sure bet.
So I need a way to make varnish vanish, if someone can tell me what to delete from what file, I'll give it a try…
If you are referring to them showing up multiple times in the Services Status widget, I have seen that happen before. There are multiple service definitions in the config for the package, and the extras need removed. This should probably have some sanity checking done during the package install.
Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Is there a spot where I can delete this manually?
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I did a reinstall from scratch, but I restored the saved configuration, which should have been safe.
So if varnish never was available as an i386 package, then the restored config must have played some tricks during system upgrades, because I then must have simply assumed it was installed, never got around to testing it, and…A restored config will always try to reinstall the packages that were there, so that may need to be handled more gracefully in the future. Some of that info can't really be known though because it relies on the package's xml files to know what entries belong to a given package, so it might be able to get some but not all.
the package simply doesn't show up in the installed packages, nor in the installable packages, so I can't deinstall, I also can't reinstall and follow that with a deinstall, so I'm stuck. I'd have to reinstall the amd64 version of the OS, reinstall varnish, restore my config, then deinstall varnish, then save my config again, reinstall the i386 version of the OS, restore my config, and then hope the varnish traces are gone. But since a variety of package config data seems to persist de- and reinstall (otherwise the config would get lost each time I upgrade to a newer snapshot), that's not even close to be a sure bet.
So I need a way to make varnish vanish, if someone can tell me what to delete from what file, I'll give it a try…
No need to be that drastic. As I said above, make a config backup, edit out the sections about varnish, then restore that config.
If you are referring to them showing up multiple times in the Services Status widget, I have seen that happen before. There are multiple service definitions in the config for the package, and the extras need removed. This should probably have some sanity checking done during the package install.
Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Is there a spot where I can delete this manually?
Same as above, no GUI way to do it, download the backup and edit it out.
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"Dummy" packages would cause more confusion than anything else, especially in your case since Varnish has not been removed – it is just not available on x86. Listing it on x86 would lead to people trying to install the "dummy" package.
Packages which are removed from the repo still show up under the installed packages list, and if they can't be removed from there, that is the real bug.
Ok, the suggestion with dummy packages I only made because I though the problem to be a different one than it is. I thought the problem exists because the packages was removed, but in reality the problem is, that the restore of an amd64 config into an i386 system plays tricks with the system that it shouldn't play…
So yes, the dummy package idea would be worthless to solve the issue at hand. What needs to be solved then is how the system deals with config data from restored configurations that was written with currently unavailable packages present.
As for multiple services, it's just that they get added multiple times if a package isn't completely removed cleanly.
If that's the case I have an idea where this may originate, it's related to something that should be improved anyhow: when one upgrades the OS, all packages are deinstalled and then reinstalled. That's OK, even though it takes up a lot of time,which could be saved if the OS could be upgraded independently from the packages. What is a real nuissance, however, is that one can't start the upgrade and walk away, because then only the OS is upgraded, the package upgrade only happens the next time one accesses the web interface. Worse, if this is done with a mobile device that goes to sleep, while the package manager page may be busy for 10-30 minutes downloading and reinstalling packages, then it seems the install of various packages may fail, and create theirs double entries.
IMO the package reinstallation should happen fully in the background and not require web interface access or a continuous connection to the browser while it is unfolding.
As for fixing your situation, you'll need to download a config backup, edit out the package info, and restore the backup. Welcome to BETA software. :-)
OK I'll try to get rid of varnish that way…
It will be improved before release, as always, but there are still rough edges.
No problem, I'm aware of the beta status. With some feedback from the forum, I can likely resolve the problems and help track down a few bugs in the process…
