--set-selections - help needed to use this

10-12-2010, 11:05 AM

I am installing on a new box. I have copied the installed_packages.txt from
the old box onto a CD. (I am physically 10 miles away from the old box)

I am failing in using teh list to install. I navigated to /media/cdrom0, then
did

#dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
#apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

After the first, the system complained that the file is read only. But I only
want to read it, surely? And after the second command 0 files were
installed!

I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the
permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to find
it?

Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?

Lisi

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10-12-2010, 11:54 AM

On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:05:50 +0100, Lisi wrote:

> I am installing on a new box. I have copied the installed_packages.txt
> from the old box onto a CD. (I am physically 10 miles away from the old
> box)
>
> I am failing in using teh list to install. I navigated to
> /media/cdrom0, then did
>
> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt #apt-get -u
> dselect-upgrade
>
> After the first, the system complained that the file is read only. But
> I only want to read it, surely? And after the second command 0 files
> were installed!
>
> I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the
> permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to
> find it?
>
> Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?

I can't tell why:

- it complains about being read-only (we all know cd-r are read only
media)
- does not perform any action

:-)

But I'm quite sure you can copy "installed_packages.txt" and put it
elsewhere in your system and run the same command (no need to modify its
perms), i.e.:

cp /media/cdrom0/installed_packages.txt /home/lisi/Desktop
dpkg --set-selections < /home/lisi/Desktop/installed_packages.txt
...

Greetings,

--
Camaleón

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10-12-2010, 12:13 PM

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 12:54:01 Camaleón wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:05:50 +0100, Lisi wrote:
> > I am installing on a new box. I have copied the installed_packages.txt
> > from the old box onto a CD. (I am physically 10 miles away from the old
> > box)
> >
> > I am failing in using teh list to install. I navigated to
> > /media/cdrom0, then did
> >
> > #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt #apt-get -u
> > dselect-upgrade
> >
> > After the first, the system complained that the file is read only. But
> > I only want to read it, surely? And after the second command 0 files
> > were installed!
> >
> > I could perhaps copy the file to the main filesystem and change the
> > permissions - but in that case, where should I put it to enable dpkg to
> > find it?
> >
> > Or am I perhaps doing something else wrong?
>
> I can't tell why:
>
> - it complains about being read-only (we all know cd-r are read only
> media)
> - does not perform any action
>
> :-)
>
> But I'm quite sure you can copy "installed_packages.txt" and put it
> elsewhere in your system and run the same command (no need to modify its
> perms), i.e.:
>
> cp /media/cdrom0/installed_packages.txt /home/lisi/Desktop
> dpkg --set-selections < /home/lisi/Desktop/installed_packages.txt
> ...
>
> Greetings,
>
> --
> Camaleón

Thanks, Camaleón. I get nervous when the computer I am working on does not
belong to me!!

Lisi

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10-12-2010, 12:27 PM

> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt

went fine. :-)

But
> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

runs, but doesn't install anything. :-( I must still be doing something
wrong.

Lisi

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10-12-2010, 12:42 PM

On 10/12/2010 05:57 PM, Lisi wrote:

But

#apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

runs, but doesn't install anything. :-( I must still be doing something
wrong.

Lisi

Isnt that supposed to be :

#apt-get dselect-upgrade

Without the -u ?

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10-12-2010, 01:00 PM

Excerpts from Lisi's message of Tue Oct 12 13:05:50 +0200 2010:

> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

FWIW, this is what I used (based on [1]):

dpkg --clear-selections
dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections-installed.state
debconf-set-selections < debconf.state
xargs -r -- aptitude markauto -y --schedule-only < autoinstalled-packages.list
aptitude install -y

Sascha

[1] http://www.mail-archive.com/aptitude-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org/msg00329.html
--
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http://www.infra-silbe.de/

10-12-2010, 01:14 PM

On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:27:55 +0100, Lisi wrote:

>> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
>
> went fine. :-)
>
> But
>> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
>
> runs, but doesn't install anything. :-( I must still be doing something
> wrong.

Dunno :-?

This article shows the same path you are following:

Copying Debian package selections to a new machine
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/copying_debian_package_selections_new_machine

Let's wait someone in the know can provide you any tip :-)

Greetings,

--
Camaleón

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10-12-2010, 01:47 PM

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 14:14:00 Camaleón wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:27:55 +0100, Lisi wrote:
> >> #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> >
> > went fine. :-)
> >
> > But
> >
> >> #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
> >
> > runs, but doesn't install anything. :-( I must still be doing something
> > wrong.
>
> Dunno :-?
>
> This article shows the same path you are following:
>
> Copying Debian package selections to a new machine
> http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/copying_debian_package_selectio
>ns_new_machine
>
> Let's wait someone in the know can provide you any tip :-)

I was starting to see arrows pointing every which way! So I have temporarily
shelved the problem. I'll come back to it later.

I think I'll give it one more try using your link and any tips other people
have given me by then, and if I still can't do it I'll just install normally.

Thanks for the help.

Lisi

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10-12-2010, 01:50 PM

On Tuesday 12 October 2010 14:00:10 Sascha Silbe wrote:
> Excerpts from Lisi's message of Tue Oct 12 13:05:50 +0200 2010:
> > #dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt
> > #apt-get -u dselect-upgrade
>
> FWIW, this is what I used (based on [1]):
>
>
> dpkg --clear-selections
> dpkg --set-selections < dpkg-selections-installed.state
> debconf-set-selections < debconf.state
> xargs -r -- aptitude markauto -y --schedule-only <
> autoinstalled-packages.list aptitude install -y
>
>
> Sascha
>
> [1]
> http://www.mail-archive.com/aptitude-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org/msg00329
>.html --
> http://sascha.silbe.org/
> http://www.infra-silbe.de/

Thanks, Sascha. It is no longer viable to go back to the original machine in
this particular case - but I shall keep this info for next time!

Lisi

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10-12-2010, 01:52 PM

Hmmm. I've used this method several times before, in fact it is my primary way of building machines.

On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 7:05 AM, Lisi <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> wrote:

I am installing on a new box. *I have copied the installed_packages.txt from

the old box onto a CD. *(I am physically 10 miles away from the old box)

I am failing in using teh list to install. *I navigated to /media/cdrom0, then

did

#dpkg --set-selections < installed_packages.txt

#apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

After the first, the system complained that the file is read only. *But I only

want to read it, surely? *And after the second command 0 files were

installed!

Are you sure it wasn't just letting you know that you were reading from read-only media? The other option would be to copy the file from /media/cdrom0 to /root and do your --set-selections from there. But it really shouldn't matter.

As for the second, I have never used the -u. And according to the apt-get man page:

****** -u, --show-upgraded
********** Show upgraded packages; Print out a list of all packages that are
********** to be upgraded. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Show-Upgraded.

As other posters have suggested, try running it without the -u.

--b