apt-get suddenly stopped working

**ktritty** · May 18th, 2010

Hello.

For no reason that I can devise, apt-get or aptitude will not work suddenly. I did not make any changes to interfaces or other fundamental networking stuff.

I know that it is my computer, because apt-get still works great from my other ubuntu machines. That and the fact that I manage the server remotely via ssh, so it is not the internet connection.

Code:

webmaster00@ftpserver1:~$ sudo bash
root@ftpserver1:~# aptitude update
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com karmic Release.gpg                         
  Could not resolve 'us.archive.ubuntu.com'
Err http://security.ubuntu.com karmic-security Release.gpg                  
  Could not resolve 'security.ubuntu.com'
....AND SO ON

Ideas on can I go about troubleshooting this?

Ironically, this first started to happen when I tried to do apt-get install lynx, so I could use the CUPS web tool, and generally have a browser on hand in case I ever had to troubleshoot something like this (Alanis Morisette...). So, I currently have no web browser at my disposal for troubleshooting use, at least that I am aware of.

Thanks!

**noway2** · May 18th, 2010

It may not be you and there may be something else going on. I ran into the same, or at least similar problem a few minutes ago trying to update a fresh install of 10.04. It complains that it can't resolve any of the repositories, but yet normal stuff resolves just fine.

**arrrghhh** · May 18th, 2010

Try to ping security.ubuntu.com, us.archive.ubuntu.com, etc...

If you can't there's your answer. Try using an alternate mirror

**lykwydchykyn** · May 19th, 2010

"could not resolve" means there is a DNS issue. See what you get from

Code:

host us.archive.ubuntu.com

If it can't return an IP, check your DNS settings in /etc/resolv.conf.

**CharlesA** · May 19th, 2010

Thanks for the command. It looks like it does the same as nslookup.

**ktritty** · May 20th, 2010

Originally Posted by lykwydchykyn

"could not resolve" means there is a DNS issue. See what you get from

Code:

host us.archive.ubuntu.com

If it can't return an IP, check your DNS settings in /etc/resolv.conf.

Here is the result:

Code:

webmaster00@ftpserver1:~$ host us.archive.ubuntu.com
us.archive.ubuntu.com has address 91.189.88.30
us.archive.ubuntu.com has address 91.189.88.40
us.archive.ubuntu.com has address 91.189.88.45
us.archive.ubuntu.com has address 91.189.88.46
us.archive.ubuntu.com has address 91.189.92.166
webmaster00@ftpserver1:~$ sudo apt-get update
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com karmic Release.gpg                         
  Could not resolve 'us.archive.ubuntu.com'

Ideas??

Thanks for the help so far. There was a problem with resolv.conf. The above is after restarting /etc/init.d/networking

**ktritty** · May 20th, 2010

SOLVED!

I went back through some recent work configuring SAMBA. I went off a howto. They had me modify the contents of /etc/nsswitch.conf to work with WINS. The order they suggested may have not been so good....

The BAD VERSION:
hosts: files mdns4_minimal hosts wins [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4

THE WORKING VERSION:
hosts: files mdns4_minimal hosts [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4 wins

Thank you everybody for your support, and hooray for trial-and-error sometimes actually panning out.