List of available packages gets deleted at reboot or shutdown

[Member Xaver]

At shutdown or reboot antiX deletes the list of available packages. Then I have to run ‘apt update’ again, which takes several minutes. I would like to keep the list of available packages. How can I configure that?

[Member fatmac]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Sounds like you are running ‘live’, in which case anything added will disappear when shutdown, you will need to create a ‘persistent’ pendrive.

Linux (& BSD) since 1999

[Member Xaver]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@ fatmac
Not live – several persist installs in VirtualBox (x64 stable, testing and sid). All of them use to forget the package index lists after reboot. But I cannot find the file, where this is configured (in /etc/apt/ ?).
Unfortunately my DSL is slow (max 160 kBits/s downstream). Quite often I get error messages related to the antiX repos like:
http://nl.mxrepo.com/antix/testing/dists/testing/main/Contents-i386 404 Not Found [IP: 81.4.106.127 80]
Thus setting up the system is very time consuming.

[Forum Admin dolphin_oracle]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Do the packages not show up in synaptic?

[Member Xaver]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@ dolphin_oracle
No – only installed packages are shown in synaptic, unless I run apt update.
I have just checked it: The files pkgcache.bin and scrpkgcache.bin in /var/cache/apt/ are deleted at shutdown or reboot.

[Anonymous]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Not live – several persist installs in VirtualBox

I have just checked it: The files pkgcache.bin and scrpkgcache.bin in /var/cache/apt/ are deleted at shutdown or reboot.

Unless you ran the installer and installed to virtual disk(s), technically it’s still “live boot”, eh.
“persist”? or did you mean “permanent”?
If you’re seeing/choosing any form of persistence at each startup, it’s “live boot” (and, an installed system “doesn’t know anything about persistence”).

If the scenario is indeed live+persistence, you can prevent at-shutdown loss of pkgcache.bin and scrpkgcache.bin
by browsing to /usr/local/share/excludes directory
and editing the files “persist-save.exclude.list” and “static-root-delete.list”
#outcomment the line(s) referring to /var/cache/apt/ and /var/lib/apt …and save the modified files.

If the scenario is NOT live+persistence, the at-shutdown deletion is not the expected (tested) stock behavior… so, leads me to wonder whether you (manually, or via bleachbit or other utility) are causing the deletion by performing apt-get clean?

Bear in mind, each time you perform an apt-get operation…

man apt-get

–list-cleanup
This option defaults to on, use –no-list-cleanup to turn it off.
When on, apt-get will automatically manage the contents of /var/lib/apt/lists to ensure that obsolete files are erased. The only reason to turn it off is if you frequently change your source list.

…the established apt preferences may reject the “preserved” pkgcache lists due to recognizing them as being “stale”.
apropos apt and skim through the various manpages
APT::Get::List-Cleanup (alias: APT::List-Cleanup)
Acquire::Max-ValidTime (the implicit default value is 3600 seconds aka 2.5 days, IIRC)

[Member Xaver]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@ skidoo – Thank you.
Yes, my vBox install is live+persistence.
I have thought that all changes would be stored and did not know about the exclude-files in /usr/local/share/excludes/.
So now I have outcommented the 3 lines, which caused my problem.
Now all package infos are still there after reboot.

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Actually, it is not a problem, but a security feature.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Author]

Posts