PackMan update issue

Hello.

I have installed a fresh build of Risc OS Direct v2.1 (Risc OS 5.28) on my Pi 400. I am currently finding that some applications in the PackMan tool are failing to install and give an error of “Failed to install/remove package when Unpacking/Removing: Failed” with the description “A newer version of the package manager is required to install a package. Try finding PackMan in the package list, click the upgrade button, quit and restart it, and try again”.

I can see the entry for PackMan in the list, however the installed and available versions are both reported as 0.9.1-1. So there is nothing to upgrade. Any suggestions on getting around this? Do I need to find and install a later version of PackMan from somewhere?

Thanks,
Peter

Any suggestions on getting around this? Do I need to find and install a later version of PackMan from somewhere?

You may have difficulties with PackMan because the website hosting many of the the packages (riscos.info) isn’t working at the moment. This could also prevent you from updating PackMan itself.

However, RISC OS Direct should have come with a recent version of PackMan (0.9.7-1 is the current version, and dates from 2021). You didn’t misread 0.9.7-1 as 0.9.1-1, perchance? You may be worrying over nothing.

Edited to add: I’ve just remembered that PackMan can get installed in two different places ($.Apps and $.Apps.Admin) It may be that the latest version is in $.Apps.Admin but you were trying to start an older version installed in $.Apps (or vice versa).

Nothing like single point of failure, is there? Can someone put a shilling in the meter?

That’s strange. I used the RISC OS Direct version from the riscosdev.com/direct website (Jan 2021) and applied the patch (Mar 2023). PackMan is reporting 0.9.1 Beta (04 May 2016). Not sure how that happened. I will try to get 0.9.7 manually.

Goto https://sites.google.com/sites/alansriscosstuff/packman

Then there is instructions on downloading the newer version from riscos.info The link was working when I tried a couple of minutes ago and downloaded the zip file. It also tells you how to get the newer SharedUnixLibrary if required.

“$.Apps and $.Apps.Admin”

That’s also strange. I have no Admin directory in Apps.

I have managed to install 0.9.7 successfully. There are still problems using it but hopefully when riscos.info comes back, all will be well.

After disabling riscos.info sources I still get an error from one of the ROOL sources.

Reading list of sources from disc
 Downloading source lists
 Downloading source list from 'http://packages.lessthan3.org.uk/pkg/testing'
 Source 'http://packages.lessthan3.org.uk/pkg/testing' downloaded
 Downloading source list from 'http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-armv5'
 Failed to download source from 'http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-armv5',
  error: The requested URL returned error: 503 Service Unavailable

I can confirm that issue, I get the same error message.

I have also had a few issues of late with the jaspp one over the pass couple of weeks working intermittently.

It looks like the riscos.info package lists are now back online: a run of PackMan’s “Update lists” worked normally.

a run of PackMan’s “Update lists” worked normally.

Not here, it didn’t. For the last couple of days I get: ‘The requested URL returned error: 503 Service Unavailable’ when attempting to update the package list.

https://www.riscos.info/ seems to be broken again, causing the packman 503 problems.

Disable the repo from the Sources list. That will make Packman work again.

I think we should start thinking of a mirror for riscos.info if Theo (and others) are ok with this.

It seems to be spreading as I’m now seeing 503 errors with the ROOL sources.

It seems to be spreading as I’m now seeing 503 errors with the ROOL sources.

Well, one ROOL “source” (raspberrypi-programs-armv5), which is in fact a redirect to a riscos.info page…

packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-armv5

fails for me, and has been bad for weeks, but the others are ok.

Well, one ROOL “source” (raspberrypi-programs-armv5)

I didn’t actually deep-dive and just turned off all ROOL source, but if it’s a redirect it would explain things.

Is anyone looking at the issue with riscos.info? Can ROOL not mirror it if they’re relying on it as one of their sources?

Looks like something like

http://www.riscos.info/packages/src/
http://www.riscos.info/packages/UtilitiesDetails.html
http://www.riscos.info/packages/BrowserDetails.html
http://www.riscos.info/packages/NetworkDetails.html
…

is working but

http://www.riscos.info/packages/ABCIndex.html
http://www.riscos.info/packages/SectionIndex.html

not.

Odd, perhaps it just needs a reboot or a cache flush!

I am getting 404 errors “Not Found” trying to upgrade Otter Browser and install SQLite.
My sources are
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-arm7
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/rool
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-arm5

Is anyone else succeeding?

My sources are
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-arm7
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/rool
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-arm5

Two of the URLs you posted were wonky. They should have been:
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-armv7
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/programs-armv5
(note an additional letter “v” near the end of each URL)

The corrected URLs are working fine for me.

There does seem an issue with the armv5 URL in that this auto directs to:

https://www.riscos.info/packages/pkg/raspberrypi

So it was giving an 404 error on my installation of Packman.

I have now disabled the armv5 source and added the raspberrypi one and all is well again.

I have the letter v following “arm” in the two sources Stuart mentions, but for some reason I missed them out in typing the post. I also disabled armv5 source as it seemed to cause problems, but I am still getting “Failed to install” messages testing with Solitaire and SQLite.

I also disabled armv5 source as it seemed to cause problems, but I am still getting “Failed to install” messages testing with Solitaire and SQLite.

Did you add the following source?

https://www.riscos.info/packages/pkg/raspberrypi