Package Manager Update not updating Apps

English Applications
1

Was wondering if someone could suggest a reference and possible approach to troubleshooting openSUSE update.

I’d always assumed that the openSUSE update (applet) would notify me and update any apps installed from any of the configured repositories.

This week I found two applications were not detected and updated, one from the Pacman repository where an update was available for more than 2 weeks and another from the Contrib repository where an update was available for an unknown amount of time.

I manually detected and updated both using zypper without any special repository configuration.

The SUSE updater has been running regularly installing critical and recommended patches regularly without issue.

Am considering

  • Maybe somewhere there is a config specifying repositories and/or apps? I can’t seem to find something that’s applicable.
  • Maybe I misunderstood that the SUSE updater isn’t supposed to update anything from non-OSS repositories?

TIA,
Tony

2

You did not say which version you are running.

My experience with the old updater (opensuse 11.0 using Gnome, then opensuse 11.3 using KDE) was that the updater would only tell me once that there were updates.

I typically login, and then stay logged in for several days. If there were updates available when I login, then the updater told me about them. If not, it would sit there and periodically check. However, if it had once told me that there were updates, and I had installed those, it would not tell me again unless I logged out and then logged back in.

I think I am seeing the same with KpackageKit on 11.4, though I can’t be sure. I turned off the automatic start of KpackageKit, and I manually start it from time to time. I don’t have any such problem with manual starting.

3

> - Maybe I misunderstood that the SUSE updater isn’t supposed to update
> anything from non-OSS repositories?

i think you might benefit from more on the two different terms “update”
and “upgrade” as they are used in openSUSE…

for example there are no updates in any “contrib repo”, updates are only
in the (one) update repo…

read lots more here (including do not use package kit, it is broken):
http://tinyurl.com/3hsohme (entire thread)

well, maybe that is not true for Tumbleweed, so my info doesn’t apply to
it or Evergreen…i deal only in openSUSE…

–
DD Caveat
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobile” of operating systems!

4

I have since found that zypper will do what the SUSE automatic updater won’t…

At any given time, you can list all packages which are not latest with the following command

# zypper list-updates

If you wish to update all, then “update” without any further parameters will do so

# zypper update

This will cause every package you have installed through YAST or zypper in all configured repositories to update, not just the OSS and non-OSS repositories.

As usual, these commands and many others are documented in the zypper MAN file.

HTH,
Tony

5

Isn’t the problem with kpackagekit and not packagekit itself? I had problems with kpackagekit so I uninstalled it several months ago. I only started using packagekit last week but so far it’s been problem free. I don’t use it to install packages but to only notify me via email when new updates are available (from any repo). I do the actual installation with Yast. I set it up through Yast > sysconfig > packagekit.

6

On 09/02/2011 06:36 AM, londy wrote:
> Isn’t the problem with kpackagekit and not packagekit itself?

as far as i know you are probably be correct…i’m not sure…i
uninstalled Kpackagekit months ago…

hmmmmmm…i see however that the packagekit bug mentioned in
http://forums.opensuse.org/english/other-forums/news-announcements/announcements/460773-help-wanted-maintenance-improving-updater.html
has been fixed/closed…

there remain, however 19 bugs against Kpackagekit:
https://bugzilla.novell.com/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=kpackagekit

i typed probably above because i see there are 63 bugs against
packagekit and kpackagekit (i don’t see an easy way to make a list for
packagekit only):
https://bugzilla.novell.com/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=packagekit

[and since i never use packagekit, i won’t take time to read though all
of those reports and see how many are dups and how many are closed and .
… . however anyone using package kit probably should…personally, i
even stopped using it as only an agent to notify me that updates were
available–because i think i learned that that often meant that updates
were available maybe…i am now in the habit of checking YaST Online
Update after each boot (normally that means daily)]

ymmv

–
DD Caveat
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobile” of operating systems!

7

.i am now in the habit of checking YaST Online
Update after each boot (normally that means daily)]

As I noted, YaST currently may not check all repositories at least on my machine.

“zypper update” will check everything, including what YaST checks.

Tony

8

The equivalent of “zypper update” in Yast’s ‘Online Update’ or ‘Software Management’ is ‘Package > All Packages > Update if new version available’. At least I think it is.

9

If that is indeed equivalent (I’ll try that next time I have an opportunity to verify), IMO it’s less convenient than the command line. Probably more to the point, why doesn’t the Automatic Updater make this setting (Update all packages from all repositories) available and even make it the default setting?

A typical system installs many, many packages beyond just the base openSUSE system, including but not limited to LibreOffice, all games, all media players, packages for the installed Desktop, more. That’s a ton of stuff that really needs to be kept current for security as well as performance reasons.

Tony

10

On 09/07/2011 12:36 AM, tsu2 wrote:
>
> why doesn’t the Automatic Updater make this
> setting (Update all packages from all repositories) available and even
> make it the default setting?

because the more things that are changed the more likely there will be
unintended incompatibilities on any individual’s system…

i know there are dozens (hundreds maybe, or more) individual package
updates that could flow to my system if i wanted them to (via either
zipper or YaST)…however, the default settings for YaST Online
Update is to only update security issues (always) and significant bug
fixes…

just sticking to the limited updates which flow with the default
settings will (too often) introduce instability (check the forums for
the many many “after update” problems)…but, when one decides to chase
the latest and greatest it can quickly lead to a lot of flakiness and
wholly avoidable foot shooting.

actually, i’m pretty sure the number of “after update” problems noted in
these fora are directly related to the number of folks who use the YaST
Online Update defaults or not…

> That’s a
> ton of stuff that really needs to be kept current for security as well
> as performance reasons.

YaST Online Update will (default) install all (known, tested and
available) security patches for all installed software…additionally,
it will install significant bug fixes…

but it will not automatically install every application developers
latest and greatest…which is good for me and all who want stability…

the chance for a marginal increase in performance is not always worth
the often huge decrease in stability…openSUSE should not be a system
one should have to fiddle with constantly to keep it going (like the
most prevalent desktop OS).

having just run 10.3 daily for about two years past its end of life i
can tell you that the stability factor went to MAX once there were no
more updates available…it was really sweet!

ymmv (i’m not recommending everyone run out-of-date software…but,
chasing the latest and greatest is probably not the best way for new
folks to learn about Linux)

–
DD
openSUSE®, the “German Automobiles” of operating systems