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1

When logging in to software management, after a long wait, I get this message:

An error occurred during repository initialization. [packman|http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/] Failed to retrieve new repository metadata. History: - [|] Error trying to read from ‘http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/’ - Timeout exceeded when accessing ‘packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/content’.

Please can you provide a simple (non technical) explanation of how to fix this annoying error, which by the way does not stop me loading applications from the Packman repositories, so seems like a lot of fuss about nothing.

In passing I wanted t mention that I have returned to Suse after a long break because I found the system too long winded and cumbersome for someone who is not technically adept (me) and for whom working with the command line seems totally outdated.

I was hoping things would have improved after a 5 year break as I am a great admirer of Suse and had used it as my daily driver for many years back to the late 2000’s after much hard work with networking, printing, video - all the usual things Ubuntu and its forks “just do out of the box”.

In my experience a typical Ubuntu/Mint/Slackware/Debian installation is done and dusted in about an hour. But after > 10 hours of Googling, fiddling and trying I have at last got my Brother Laser printer to work (no driver found, had to faff with the Brother .rpm - Ubuntu/Linux Mint just discovers and installs it without me doing anything whatsoever), Nvidia video drivers and MP3 and MP4 files working in my favourite video player SMPlayer (not as prone to crashes as VLC ). Back in the days of Version 9/10 there were simple click through installation options for Codecs, drivers etc., but the ones for 15 seem broken as they simply fail to work with Firefox, although I never did manage to persuade it to connect to a standard British Telecom Wi-Fi router !

The installation process is also a complete nightmare for a new user, 40 years ago I was a Digital systems operator running mainframes and office servers for a major institution, so I have some knowledge. However, your installer was impenetrable at some points, it is clearly written by clever people, but they have knowledge of the subject, most of the rest of don’t why don’t you simply offer a vanilla version for new users? I appreciate you guys are “open source purists” but it does not help the cause of Linux to make it so difficult for new users to make the move to Linux. Perhaps you don’t care and don’t want users that are below your “intellectual standards”, thus is the way to oblivion in my experience.

Thanks for listening, I would welcome your help, best wishes,

Paul

PS Here is a shining example of how to confuse a user, in order to log a query I need to add a tag - search for Leap 15.1 per the error message and its not found. So how would I know what I am using without running cat at the command line and how would a new user know to do that ? and why does the Packman error message say 15.1 when cat suggests Leap 15.6 is installed ?

Then when I try to post the query I am curtly told I have more than 2 links in my post, so buzz off - really !!!

2

http://packman.inode.at/ is apparently unreachable at this time. You can check by trying to open in a web browser, or using ping.

This site can’t be reached
packman.inode.at took too long to respond.
Try:

Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

Packman is not under the control of the official openSUSE team.

Limited link inclusion for new user posts is an anti-spam provision that will go away after you’ve done additional posting here.

3

Because you have added a repository for Leap 15.1 to your system. External repos don’t add themself to a system but only by user request.
To remove this error, you need to remove this invalid repo and add the correct Packman repo for Leap 15.6

Show your repository list via
zypper lr -d

(Btw, packman.inode.at is not even a valid Packman mirror any longer)

4

packman.inode.at was a server that the maintainer of Packman has gotten free from his former company.
But he has switched to another company and packman inode.at should not be used anymore.
I think packman.inode.at is now deleted.

But beside this, Leap 15.1 is dead…

5

Felix,

Thank you for your very prompt reply.

Paul

6

Thank you for your very prompt reply.

I added the repository using the option in Yast, I know of no other means. On checking it turns out 15.1 was loaded as well as 15.6.

I have deleted 15.1 and all now seems fine.

Thank you,

Paul

7

Thank you for your prompt reply and support,

Paul