freebsd stable - May 2003 - issue with ports

my ports database seems to have become broken. I'm running -stable, but
haven't rebuilt the system in a year or so (I know, security vulerabilities,
but the box has been shelved in this time).

anyhow, at this point, I can't do even a make clean in ports, or build
portupgrade. I fetched portupgrade with pkg_add hoping that running pkgdb -F
would sort things out, but it errors with:

** Error occured reading /usr/local/etc/pkgtools.conf:
        undefined method `+' for nil

next steps?

jason watkins

Jason,
> my ports database seems to have become broken.
You can always rebuild the ports and package databases if the need arises,
though I doubt this is your problem, eg.

# cd /usr/ports/ ; > INDEX ; > INDEX.db ; make index ; portsdb -Uu
# > /var/db/pkg/pkgdb.db ; pkgdb -u
> I can't do even a make clean in ports
Don't bother. Start with a freshly cvsup'ed ports tree. After you next
update and install new versions, run "portsclean" (with -CD or
whatever
suits you) and leave the rest to portupgrade.
> ** Error occured reading /usr/local/etc/pkgtools.conf:
>         undefined method `+' for nil
Did you copy pkgtools.conf.sample to pkgtools.conf? If so, what changes
did you make to pkgtools.conf [diff them]?


I use a script, update_stable[1], to update my sources and ports. It can
be invoked with an argument just to update the ports (update_stable ports)
and which takes care of all the databases and other stuff. This may be a
useful reference even if you don't run it. I have another, for installing
a newly built world and kernel. You can see my sup and config files for
reference[3].

[1] http://halplant.com:88/software/FreeBSD/scripts/update_stable
[2] http://halplant.com:88/software/FreeBSD/scripts/install_stable
[3] http://halplant.com:88/server/config/


-Andrew-
-- 
 _______________________________________________________________________
| -Andrew J. Caines-   Unix Systems Engineer   A.J.Caines@halplant.com  |
| "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary |
|  safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 |

in message <20030523065702.GD383@hal9000.halplant.com>,
wrote Andrew J Caines thusly...
>
> You can always rebuild the ports and package databases...
> 
> # cd /usr/ports/ ; > INDEX ; > INDEX.db ; make index ; portsdb -Uu
> # > /var/db/pkg/pkgdb.db ; pkgdb -u
O! The Horrors!

Why are you obliterating INDEX* & pkgdb.db files?  You do realize
that you are digging your own grave in case indexing or installed
ports db making fails, or the processes need to be stopped?

make index already takes care of INDEX, unfortunately, instead of
keeping around the old copy unless index making succeeds.

By using -U option, you are rebuilding INDEX.  Why then you already
built it once?  Like much the cooing & warmth oozing out of your
computer?


  - Parv

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