[rhn-users] fatal unpack error during up2date -u

Tue May 24 17:50:45 UTC 2005

The client is running rpm version 4.2.3 and RHEL WS update 3.   This is 
just an old P3 600 box, nothing with multiple CPUs or anything.  We did 
try rebuilding the database as well.  Also I believe the proxy is 
running Redhat Proxy software version 3.6.  Could it be possible that 
the packages which where not installed where never on the box to begin 
with, hence the missing entries from the rpm db?  Of course why would 
up2date then try to download and install them if they where not there to 
begin with...

--Jim

Doerbeck, Christoph wrote:

>Last question would be.... what version of RHEL & rpm is the client
>running.
>
>There WAS known bug in rpm for RHEL 3 which was fixed in a fairly recent
>update.
>Had something to do with mutex locking and threads etc... I've found
>that boxes with a lot of CPUs or HypherThreading enabled often had the
>rpmdb get locked, or sometimes corrupted....  perhaps it's related?
>You might try rebuilding the rpmdb....
>
>https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2004-501.html
>
>There's also a short term fix by:
>
>cd /var/lib/rpm
>for i in __db*; do mv $i $i.old; done; rpm --rebuilddb
>
>You could optionally just delete them instead of moving to .old
>
>Christoph 
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jim Pelton [mailto:Jim.Pelton at noaa.gov] 
>Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 12:29 PM
>To: Red Hat Network Users List
>Subject: Re: [rhn-users] fatal unpack error during up2date -u
>
>
>Christoph,
>
>    Thanks for the reply, however the problem is not that the rpm 
>database and package profile on the satellite are un-synced.  We did do 
>an up2date -p and up2date -l but with no resolve.  The problem is that 
>the packages that where not installed, but only downloaded, completely 
>disappeared from the rpm database on the client system!  The database 
>does not seem corrupted, but incomplete or rather just missing about 30 
>entries.  Again it is sinked with the package profile on the satellite 
>system.  So I guess my question is, does up2date remove packages from 
>the client rpm database as soon as they are downloaded to the client 
>system, then re-add them after/during rpm installation?
>
>Thanks again!
>
>--Jim
>
>Doerbeck, Christoph wrote:
>
>  
>
>>You might try "up2date -p" which (I think) should refresh the system 
>>profile on the  rhn server.  Follow-up with a "up2date --list" to see 
>>if the missing packages are now flagged as requiring updates.
>>
>>What version of RHN proxy are you using?
>>
>>Christoph
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Jim Pelton [mailto:Jim.Pelton at noaa.gov] 
>>Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 6:33 PM
>>To: rhn-users at redhat.com
>>Subject: [rhn-users] fatal unpack error during up2date -u
>>
>>
>>Hello List!
>>
>>Here's a tricky one for ya!  We've got a RHN proxy server, through
>>    
>>
>which
>  
>
>>we communicate with a RHN satellite server.  Now the proxy is working 
>>great.  It seems to be communicating correctly with the satellite
>>    
>>
>server
>  
>
>>and downloading rpm patches to its database.  I have a test machine 
>>running which applies updates downloaded from the proxy via up2date.
>>
>>The issue is this:  we ran up2date -u (from the command line) on a 
>>client machine and during the install phase of the update, the process 
>>died completely.  This error was issued: "There was a rpm unpack error 
>>installing the package: gnome-applets-2.2.2-2.1E."  Normally one would 
>>restart the process, assuming that it would pick up where it left off.
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>RPM is supposed to be quite robust correct?  Well, up2date -u (as well 
>>as up2date -l) claims that the system is up to date but something like 
>>30 packages where not installed--they where d/led however as they where
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>confirmed in /var/spool/up2date.  If we log onto the satellite server 
>>the system is claimed to be up2date there as well.  The output of "rpm 
>>-qa | nl" shows 507 packages, the same as the satellite server.  The 
>>interesting thing is that if we "grep" the output of "rpm -qa" with a 
>>package name that was not installed before the fatal rpm unpack error, 
>>not even the old package is shown as being installed!
>>
>>We wiped out /var/spool/up2date in an effort to "trick" up2date into 
>>downloading and installing the packages again but we now know that 
>>up2date does not even look there for confirmation of what it has
>>downloaded.
>>So what could the problem be?
>>
>>Thanks is advance, I understand this is probably more of an RPM issue 
>>but since it does involve a lot of RHN stuff I thought I'd post here
>>anyway.
>>
>>--Jim
>>
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>>
>>    
>>
>
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