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Error on install: Repository "couldn't be accessed"

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Robert Hardy (r.hardy)

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May 17, 2017, 12:50:04 PM5/17/17
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Hi,

 

I received this message when installing from the Debian 8.8 netinstall ISO (debian-8.8.0-amd64-netinst.iso)

 

Initial error was for ftp.uk.debian.org. I tried several others (including ftp.fr.debian.org and  mirror.bytemark.co.uk) with similar errors.

 

Continued with the install, which appeared to go OK otherwise. Found that two lines were commented out in sources.list, post install:

 

# jessie-updates, previously known as 'volatile'

# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:

#deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main

# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:

#deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main

 

Uncommented these, and received the following errors on running apt-get update:

 

Hit http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en

Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

 

Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

 

Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

  404  Not Found [IP: 78.129.164.123 80]

Fetched 168 kB in 6min 3s (463 B/s)

W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie-updates/main/i18n/Translation-en  404  Not Found [IP: 78.129.164.123 80]

 

E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

 

  • Is this a known issue?
  • Should I have any concerns about stability / missing files follow this?

 

Thanks,

Rob

 

175 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

 

This email and any files transmitted with it were intended solely for the addressee. If you have received this email in error please let the sender know by return.

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RavenLX

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May 17, 2017, 1:00:05 PM5/17/17
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On 05/17/2017 12:20 PM, Robert Hardy (r.hardy) wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I received this message when installing from the Debian 8.8 netinstall
> ISO (debian-8.8.0-amd64-netinst.iso)
>
> Initial error was for ftp.uk.debian.org <ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org>. I
> tried several others (including ftp.fr.debian.org
> <ftp://ftp.fr.debian.org> and mirror.bytemark.co.uk) with similar errors.
>
> Continued with the install, which appeared to go OK otherwise. Found
> that two lines were commented out in sources.list, post install:
>
> # jessie-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
>
> # Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
>
> #deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
>
> # Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
>
> #deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main
>
> Uncommented these, and received the following errors on running apt-get
> update:
>
> Hit http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en
>
> Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en
>
> Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en
>
> Err http://ftp.uk.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en
>
> 404 Not Found [IP: 78.129.164.123 80]
>
> Fetched 168 kB in 6min 3s (463 B/s)
>
> W: Failed to fetch
> http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie-updates/main/i18n/Translation-en
> 404 Not Found [IP: 78.129.164.123 80]
>
> E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old
> ones used instead.
>
> * Is this a known issue?
> * Should I have any concerns about stability / missing files follow this?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rob

I had that happened. I then changed all the http://ftp.* to
http://httpredir.debian.org. I learned of this here:

https://wiki.debian.org/SourcesList#Example_sources.list

Then I apt-get update and it worked fine from there.

Liam O'Toole

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May 18, 2017, 9:10:04 AM5/18/17
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Just a FYI: the recommended redirector is now http://deb.debian.org/.

--

Liam

RavenLX

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May 21, 2017, 8:40:03 AM5/21/17
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On 05/18/2017 09:06 AM, Liam O'Toole wrote:
[snipped...]
>> I had that happened. I then changed all the http://ftp.* to
>> http://httpredir.debian.org. I learned of this here:
>>
>> https://wiki.debian.org/SourcesList#Example_sources.list
>>
>> Then I apt-get update and it worked fine from there.
>
> Just a FYI: the recommended redirector is now http://deb.debian.org/.
>

Thank you! The wiki probably either needs updating or was updated since
I looked last.

Matthew McKinnon

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May 21, 2017, 7:10:03 PM5/21/17
to
Wiki still needs updating. Still showing

deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian jessie main
deb-src http://httpredir.debian.org/debian jessie main

Thanks for the tip on the new redirect :)

Matt

Brian

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May 21, 2017, 7:20:04 PM5/21/17
to
On Mon 22 May 2017 at 08:52:07 +1000, Matthew McKinnon wrote:

> On Sun, May 21, 2017 at 08:35:17AM -0400, RavenLX wrote:
> > On 05/18/2017 09:06 AM, Liam O'Toole wrote:
> > [snipped...]
> > >>I had that happened. I then changed all the http://ftp.* to
> > >>http://httpredir.debian.org. I learned of this here:
> > >>
> > >>https://wiki.debian.org/SourcesList#Example_sources.list
> > >>
> > >>Then I apt-get update and it worked fine from there.
> > >
> > >Just a FYI: the recommended redirector is now http://deb.debian.org/.
> > >
> >
> > Thank you! The wiki probably either needs updating or was updated since I
> > looked last.
> >
>
> Wiki still needs updating. Still showing

Would you care to nominate someone to do the work of updating it. :)

Matthew McKinnon

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May 21, 2017, 8:00:04 PM5/21/17
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As we are still in Jessie. It still shows Jessie so I would think that this is correct.

I think it should be changed when Stretch becomes stable? Just a thought.

Thanks
Matt

Brian

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May 21, 2017, 8:20:03 PM5/21/17
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Support for httpredir.debian.org has been discontinued. Versions
of aptfrom 0.7.21 onwards support http redirections. Support for
httpredir.debian.org has been discontinued.

> I think it should be changed when Stretch becomes stable? Just a thought.

It could be done now. Hint, hint. :)

--
Brian.

Matthew McKinnon

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May 21, 2017, 11:50:04 PM5/21/17
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On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 01:11:43AM +0100, Brian wrote:
> > I think it should be changed when Stretch becomes stable? Just a thought.
>
> It could be done now. Hint, hint. :)
>
> --
> Brian.
>

Well I made my first contribution to the Debian Community. Made myself an account on the Wiki. It has now been updated with the new link - http://deb.debian.org

Thanks
Matt

Brian

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May 22, 2017, 6:20:06 AM5/22/17
to
Your second. You have contributed to this list.

--
Brian.

Robert Hardy (r.hardy)

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May 23, 2017, 10:10:04 AM5/23/17
to
Thanks for the suggestions. However, this isn't an issue with the URL in sources.list. I've tried the following:

* installing using httpredir.debian.org (deb.debian.org isn't in the list of mirrors in the installer) - same error results.
* modifying the URL to deb.debian.org in sources.list and running apt-get update, same error results (see below).
* attempting to download the file Translation-en.bz2 from the repository (http://cdn-fastly.deb.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie-updates/main/i18n/) - download times out.

It looks like there is an issue with the mirror, which I'll report as a bug. However, I would appreciate advice on whether we should trust the installed system, given the missing file, or if it is likely that we will encounter ongoing issues arising from this.

Yours,
Rob

### ### ### ### ### ###

rob@DebianTemplate8:/etc/apt$ sudo apt-get update
Hit http://security.debian.org jessie/updates InRelease
Ign http://deb.debian.org jessie InRelease
Get:1 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates InRelease [145 kB]
Get:2 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Sources [196 kB]
Get:3 http://deb.debian.org jessie Release.gpg [2,373 B]
Get:4 http://deb.debian.org jessie Release [148 kB]
Get:5 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Sources [15.5 kB]
Get:6 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:7 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Sources [196 kB]
Get:8 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:9 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:10 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Sources [196 kB]
Get:11 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main amd64 Packages [406 kB]
Get:12 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:13 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:14 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:15 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main amd64 Packages [406 kB]
Get:16 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Translation-en [213 kB]
Get:17 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:18 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:19 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates/main Translation-en [213 kB]
Get:20 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
...
Get:103 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Get:104 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en [12.6 kB]
Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

Get:105 http://deb.debian.org jessie/main Sources [7,055 kB]
Get:106 http://deb.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages [6,790 kB]
Get:107 http://deb.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en [4,583 kB]
Get:108 http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 Packages [15.5 kB]
Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en
404 Not Found [IP: 151.101.16.204 80]
Fetched 18.8 MB in 3h 8min 24s (1,659 B/s)
W: Failed to fetch http://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie-updates/main/i18n/Translation-en 404 Not Found [IP: 151.101.16.204 80]

E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

Yours,
Rob Hardy
Applications and Systems Developer
York St. John University
01904 876953
[175 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE]<http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/175.aspx>

Liam O'Toole

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May 24, 2017, 7:10:04 AM5/24/17
to
On 2017-05-23, Robert Hardy (r.hardy) <r.h...@yorksj.ac.uk> wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestions. However, this isn't an issue with the URL
> in sources.list. I've tried the following:
>
> * installing using httpredir.debian.org (deb.debian.org isn't in the
> list of mirrors in the installer) - same error results. * modifying
> the URL to deb.debian.org in sources.list and running apt-get update,
> same error results (see below). * attempting to download the file
> Translation-en.bz2 from the repository
> (http://cdn-fastly.deb.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie-updates/main/i18n/)
> - download times out.
>
> It looks like there is an issue with the mirror, which I'll report as
> a bug. However, I would appreciate advice on whether we should trust
> the installed system, given the missing file, or if it is likely that
> we will encounter ongoing issues arising from this.
>
> Yours, Rob
>
[...]

I'm afraid I can't help you with the issue you're facing, and I can't
reproduce it on a jessie box. My contribution was simply to point out
that httpredir.debian.org is deprecated.

Interestingly, I can download the file Translation-en.bz2 from
cdn-fastly.deb.debian.org without a hitch. The problem appears to be at
your end, not with the mirror.

By the way, please don't top-post. It irritates people here.
--

Liam

RavenLX

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May 25, 2017, 7:50:05 AM5/25/17
to
On 05/23/2017 10:07 AM, Robert Hardy (r.hardy) wrote:
> Err http://deb.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en

In my setup it's:

http://deb.debian.org jessie/updates main contrib non-free

Note that it's jessie/updates not jessie-updates. Replace the hyphen
with a dash in your sources.list and update again. See if that works?

RavenLX

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May 25, 2017, 7:50:05 AM5/25/17
to
On 05/21/2017 11:46 PM, Matthew McKinnon wrote:
> Well I made my first contribution to the Debian Community. Made myself an account on the Wiki. It has now been updated with the new link - http://deb.debian.org

Thank you! :) Ever since the announcement that the ftp* was going down
later this year, I wanted to get the right URLs just to be sure I don't
forget and wonder what happened when the ftp* ones bite the dust.

Mark Fletcher

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May 26, 2017, 4:10:04 AM5/26/17
to
Why would it be jessie/updates? Looking at deb.debian.org/debian/dists
with a web browser, there is no updates/ folder under jessie/ but there
is a jessie-updates/ folder...

Mark

Darac Marjal

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May 26, 2017, 4:20:04 AM5/26/17
to
Just to clarify, the ftp.*.debian.org HOSTNAMES are not going away. Only
the ftp://*.debian.org service on those servers is being shut down.
There is no intention to stop http://ftp.*.debian.org from working.

>

--
For more information, please reread.
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Liam O'Toole

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May 26, 2017, 5:10:04 AM5/26/17
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jessie-updates is correct in the case of http://deb.debian.org/debian/,
whereas jessie/updates is correct for http://security.debian.org/. I
think that's where the confusion lies.

--

Liam

Mark Fletcher

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May 27, 2017, 1:20:04 AM5/27/17
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Ah-ha! I see, thanks.

Mark

Pascal Hambourg

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May 27, 2017, 4:20:05 AM5/27/17
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Le 26/05/2017 à 10:14, Darac Marjal a écrit :
>
> the ftp://*.debian.org service on those servers is being shut down.

I wonder how Debian is going to order the operators of these mirrors to
shut down the FTP service on their servers. Some of these servers mirror
other archives than Debian.

RavenLX

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May 27, 2017, 7:40:03 AM5/27/17
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You're right. My bad. I was reading security.debian.org line and not
paying attention. Sorry about that. Mr. Hardy has the correct URL.

Another thing he can try is to move the affected lists from:

/var/lib/apt/lists
/var/lib/apt/lists/partial

Do another apt-get update and see if that helps. If not, you can always
put the lists back, if you need to. Generally doing apt-get update after
moving the lists out of those directories will refresh those lists.

That works for bad checksums when checking for updates, but not sure if
that will help in Mr. Hardy's situation. Worth a try, maybe?
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