Tahrpup PPM not functioning correctly... [SOLVED]

[Mike Walsh]

Morning, all.

I've got a small problem with Tahrpup, which has only developed recently.

Every time I attempt to install anything via the PPM, I get the following message come up:-





I click on the freemem applet, as instructed, and re-start the PPM, ad nauseam.....but it doesn't make a scrap of difference.

The PPM database is regularly updated.

All bug-fixes and other updates are always promptly applied. This is an original Tahr 6.0 CE, from around December 3 years ago (shortly after first release), but has been updated to full 6.0.5 status by means of the released 'Service Packs' over time.

I know what some of you are probably going to say. 'Time for a re-install!' Perhaps so; I'm a bit more savvy than when I originally installed Tahr.....it was, after all, my first properly functioning Pup.

I would, however, like to explore my 'options' (if there are any, that is), before taking that 'ultimate step'...

Anybody got any ideas? Any & all advice will, as always, be much appreciated.


Mike.

[backi]

Hi !
Did a test for downloading .......but.....no problem with PPm
Using Tahr 6.0.5 .

[mostly_lurking]

I've never seen this kind of error. Have you tried fixmenus in a terminal to refresh the tray, or restarting the X server? I don't know about Tahr's freememapplet, but the one in Wary has a bug where it fails to report the free space correctly after a "no more free space" error, even after deleting files to clear space. It just keeps sitting there flashing red until I restart the app.

Are you sure you didn't run out of space at some point? It doesn't always generate a warning. (I've had PPM happily report that it installed a package successfully when it actually ran out of space halfway through...)

If the above is not the problem - could a corrupted savefile cause such a symptom?

[Mike Walsh]

Hiya, ML.

If the above is not the problem - could a corrupted savefile cause such a symptom?

Mm. That's what I'm wondering.....except I've always used a save-folder with Tahr from the day I installed it (which expands up to the size of the partition it's in). And that partition has currently got nearly 14 GB of spare space to play with. I don't think I've ever seen it any lower than 11.5 GB.....and it's been in this partition for nearly 3 years.

Now, I know you don't need to perform regular re-installs to maintain performance, the way you do with Windoze.....but I can't help thinking it just might be time to perform one. I've gotten kind of 'attached' to this particular install (the first one that ever fully worked for me, OOTB).....but I can't help thinking it's time for a full, clean install; new save-folder and everything. It's had so much experimentation on it over that 3 years; I can't help thinking I may have inadvertently done something to cause such corruption.....without even realising it.

And start this time with 6.0.5 from scratch.....instead of the original 6.0, upgraded through the 'Service Packs'. Unless, of course, there's some way I could 're-install' the freememapplet.....'cos I think that's where the trouble lies.


Mike.

[LateAdopter]

I have had a problem with the PPM when an install left some temporary hidden files in the .packages directory. The PPM wouldn't install anything else until I removed them. I can't remember the error message, though.

[mostly_lurking]

Booting without your save works? Filesystem check on your save partition turns out okay?

Unless, of course, there's some way I could 're-install' the freememapplet.....'cos I think that's where the trouble lies.

There are two versions here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/pet_packages-tahr/
(If you can't use your package manager, rename the .pet to .tar.gz - or maybe .tar.xz for newer packages -, and extract it with your archive program.)

If that (or LateAdopter's config file deletion suggestion) doesn't fix it, I have no idea either. Re-installing PPM or pup_event maybe? Is that possible, and doable without a computer science degree?

[Mike Walsh]

Hi, ML.

Hm. TBH, I never even knew there were .pets for the freememapplet in /tahr/packages. I can't help wondering what the difference is with the two versions; maybe Phil realised there was a problem there, and that's why the second version?

No, I can install .pet packages as normal; it's just trying to install through the PPM, where it involves downloading from the repos that seems to be problematic. I'll give the later of the two versions a try; I'm pretty sure mine is still the original that came with Tahr 6.0 CE.....unless of course it got upgraded during one of the 'bugfix' sessions, or one of the 'Service Pack' upgrades (the trouble being that the 'bugfix' log no longer shows right back to first install, for some reason...)

I'll let ya know how I get on with that. Cheers for the info.


Mike.

[Mike Walsh]

Hi again, ML.

Sorted!

Thanks again for the info. I've installed the newer of the two freememapplet .pets (2.8.6), and it appears to have fixed the problem. I've just installed gXine, which is one I've been meaning to try for a while anyway. Totally trouble-free install.

Looking at the two freememapplet binaries, my old one (in /usr/bin) was around 8k in size. The 2.8.6 replacement was almost 15k; nearly double the size, so it must be doing something different. I would guess they were in the repo because a problem had been found with the original, since in normal operation it acts exactly like the old one (at least as far as the user's concerned.....)

Anyroad; very much appreciated, mate. Cheers!


Mike.

[mikeslr]

Hi All,

Nice catch mostly_lurking. But out of curiosity, what functions does freememapplet serve? And why would its malfunction screw up Puppy Package Manager?

mikesLr

[musher0]

Hi All,

Nice catch mostly_lurking. But out of curiosity, what functions does freememapplet serve? And why would its malfunction screw up Puppy Package Manager?

mikesLr

Hello mikesLr.

The freememapplet_tray utility puts an icon in your traybar indicating,
when you hover your mouse over it, your total personal storage and the
Mg's remaining. If you click on it, it launches the partview script, which lists
the total and free space on your partitions.

How it would interfere with the PPM is a mystery to me.

I'm interested in these PPM problems because the PPM on my first
DPupStretch-7 stopped working as well. It does not give me an error,
though, just no listing in the programs section (the middle section remains
blank), whatever the repo. I suspect the cause might be the French
localisation I installed, but I'm not absolutely sure.

As Mostly-Lurking mentioned, the PPM in this DPupStretch works if the
pupsave is not loaded. I checked the freememapplet utility and it's the
latest one, so the cause has to be different.

BFN.

[Mike Walsh]

Hi, musher0/mikeslr.

Y'know, I'm not too certain about this one myself. But as near as I can figure it, 'twould appear that the PPM first checks to make certain there's sufficient space for your requested application to be installed. Since freememapplet is included precisely for this purpose, I guess the PPM makes use of it.

It would seem that in the original release of Tahrpup - Tahr 6.0 CE, back in November 2014 - the version of freememapplet that was initially used must have been faulty in some way, and couldn't have been reporting the amount of free space to the PPM correctly. I can think of no other reason why there appear to be not just one, but two updated versions of freememapplet in the Tahr packages repo. A faulty compile, perhaps? Who knows? Phil must, at that point in time, have been working his socks off to get everything ready for release date.....and when you're working that hard for a period of time, the odd slip-up is bound to occur. Why should an individual be any different to a corporation?

All I can say is that, in my personal case at least, installing the newest version of freememapplet has definitely 'fixed' the problem as reported originally in post #1. I no longer get that warning 'pop-up' appearing, and installs proceed as normal. Everything appeared in the PPM as you would expect....except for the 'pop-up' appearing every time after you selected the repo to download from. Make of that what you will.

But, as Mike said to mostly_lurking (and I echo the sentiment!); 'Nice catch.'

Yes, indeedy! Certainly works for me.


Mike.

[musher0]

Thanks for your confirmation, Mike_Walsh.

Your explanation makes sense.

I wish we had "bogue"-hounds such as yourself and Mostly-Lurking on the
French side of this forum!!!

In other words, I'm still empty-handed as to my PPM problem! I don't even
know which methodology to use to approach it...

But thanks anyway, you guys and mikesLr are good company!

BFN.

[Mike Walsh]

Morning. musher0.

I wish I knew enough about the nuts'n'bolts of this stuff to be able to give some worthwhile advice.

I will say this, though; it makes sense that the PPM would make use of freememapplet and the partview script. I know (through bitter experience) that if your save-file 'fills-up' partway through doing something that involves a lot of data transfer - especially if it's a process that can't be 'stopped' until it's finished - then it more often than not results in save-file corruption.....and you may just as well toss that save-file and start from scratch with a fresh one, because as sure as apples are apples, it will not work properly after that.

Just ensuring that that scenario can't occur in the first place, I would guess. And it's partially why I tend to make many of my own save-files far bigger than many people advise doing.....simply to prevent such a scenario ever occurring. Again, from experience, I know just how much stuff I often add to an install over time (I do a lot of 'experimenting' ); it's not that I haven't set up many Pups over the last few years (and I've got my routine down 'pat' by now..!).....but I'd rather not do so until & unless it's absolutely unavoidable. 'Fixes' can usually be found for most problems, with a wee bit of research (and patience).....


Mike.

[musher0]

Thanks for trying! BFN.

[bigpup]

musher0,

mavrothal was the last person to really do a lot of updating and changes to PPM.
He should be able to help you.
You may have found something he needs to work on to improve PPM.
He should answer a PM about it.

[musher0]

Thanks for the reminder, bigpup.

Will do when I have a minute. (I have a transl. contract to finish this week.)

BFL.