apt-get stuck in limbo

[matt_symes]

Hi

Let's try to work through the problem.

What's the output of these commands.

sudo dpkg -l mysql-server-5.1
sudo dpkg -l virtual-mysql-client
sudo dpkg -l cacti

Post back the results.

There are ways to remove packages manually if required and, depending on what is the problem with the system, it may be fixable.

Kind regards

[iponeverything]

backup and open:

/var/lib/dpkg/status

search for and remove the cacti section.

then all should be good.

[matt_symes]

Hi

backup and open:

/var/lib/dpkg/status

search for and remove the cacti section.

then all should be good.

What you have suggested was going to be part of what i was going to suggest.

As an addendum to this

dpkg -L <package_name>

will list all the files installed for that package.

Using that you can find out what files have been installed and remove the files as well as the references to the packages.

That way you can manually remove a package and any files it may have partly installed.

But as this is a production server, i though the softly, softly approach would be better to find the current state of each package.

Kind regards

[iponeverything]

agreed -- a manual cleaning of cacti detritus is good idea for a production box.

[VanJr]

backup and open:

/var/lib/dpkg/status

search for and remove the cacti section.

then all should be good.

Thank you! That did it.

FYI, I also had to remove the section for mysql-server too.

[tridentblack]

Hey, I got caught in this same catch 22. What I had done was I had erased the file /etc/init.d/mysql . I replaced the file with a file empty except for the line
#hi
And then ran the line from above

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/mysql-server-5...

(except with the name of the mysql server deb actually matching the one my computer had in /var/cache/apt/archives/ )
And it fixed it.