R SIG Debian - Jan 2019 - "Failed-to-restart-avahi-dnsconfd-service" error when I try to install R binary.

In the past I have been told, very firmly, by those who are 
knowledgeable that when upgrading R I should install the binary R 
provided for the Ubuntu OS.

Being a docile and biddable young ( :-) ) fellow, I have tried to do so,
following the instructions made available at:

    https://cran.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu/README.html

I have made sure that the line

     deb https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu bionic-cran35/

is present in my /etc/apt/sources.list file and I  then do:

     sudo apt-get update

(which seems to go OK) and then:

     sudo apt-get install r-base

At this point

(a) I get told ?r-base is already the newest version (3.5.2-1bionic).? 
(although when I start R it is apparent that I am running version 3.5.1)

(This puzzles me completely.)

(b) I then get asked if I want to continue (anyway); I answer ?y? and 
then get an error:
> Setting up avahi-dnsconfd (0.7-3.1ubuntu1.1) ...
> Failed to restart avahi-dnsconfd.service: Unit avahi-daemon.service is
masked.
> invoke-rc.d: initscript avahi-dnsconfd, action "restart" failed.
> ? avahi-dnsconfd.service - Avahi DNS Configuration Daemon
>    Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/avahi-dnsconfd.service; enabled;
vendor preset: enabled)
>    Active: inactive (dead)
(And a bunch more bumff.)  Then everything comes to a shuddering halt.

It's quite possible that there is a simple fix, but I have no idea what 
this fix might be.  (It is also quite possible that something 
complicated is needed.)

Can anyone please enlighten me? I have no idea what further information 
would be useful but am of course happy to provide (do my best to 
provide) any such information that I am asked for.

I am running the Mate Desktop Environment 1.20.1 under Ubuntu 18.04.

cheers,

Rolf Turner

P.S.  I have also posted a question about this matter on the Ubuntu Mate 
Community web site.  I hope that asking this question in two places is 
not too terribly anti-social.

R. T.

-- 
Honorary Research Fellow
Department of Statistics
University of Auckland
Phone: +64-9-373-7599 ext. 88276

| Being a docile and biddable young ( :-) ) fellow, I have tried to do so,
| following the instructions made available at:
| 
|     https://cran.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu/README.html
| 
| I have made sure that the line
| 
|      deb https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu bionic-cran35/
| 
| is present in my /etc/apt/sources.list file and I  then do:
| 
|      sudo apt-get update
| 
| (which seems to go OK) and then:
| 
|      sudo apt-get install r-base

If you want is to _upgrade_ already installed packages use 

       sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

instead. There is no apt sub-command to upgrade just one.

The point with packages is that they may have further dependencies; the
strength of this tool is to resolve that graph for you. And I have been
running it (on average) at least once a day (given several machines) for
many, many. You can trust it.

Dirk

-- 
http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | edd at debian.org

On 1/28/19 2:56 AM, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
> 
> | Being a docile and biddable young ( :-) ) fellow, I have tried to do so,
> | following the instructions made available at:
> |
> |     https://cran.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu/README.html
> |
> | I have made sure that the line
> |
> |      deb https://cloud.r-project.org/bin/linux/ubuntu bionic-cran35/
> |
> | is present in my /etc/apt/sources.list file and I  then do:
> |
> |      sudo apt-get update
> |
> | (which seems to go OK) and then:
> |
> |      sudo apt-get install r-base
> 
> If you want is to _upgrade_ already installed packages use
> 
>         sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
> 
> instead. There is no apt sub-command to upgrade just one.
> 
> The point with packages is that they may have further dependencies; the
> strength of this tool is to resolve that graph for you. And I have been
> running it (on average) at least once a day (given several machines) for
> many, many. You can trust it.
Thanks Dirk.  I just tried doing:

     sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

I was told:
> The following packages will be upgraded:
>   r-cran-class
> 1 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 0 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.
> 1 not fully installed or removed.
> Need to get 87.0 kB of archives.
> After this operation, 1,024 B of additional disk space will be used.
> Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
So I said "y" --- and immediately crashed into the same problem as
before:
> Failed to restart avahi-dnsconfd.service: Unit avahi-daemon.service is
masked.
> invoke-rc.d: initscript avahi-dnsconfd, action "restart" failed.
> ? avahi-dnsconfd.service - Avahi DNS Configuration Daemon
>    Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/avahi-dnsconfd.service; enabled;
vendor preset: enabled)
>    Active: inactive (dead)
There is something wrong in my system in respect of this "Avahi DNS 
Configuration Daemon" --- but I have no understanding or insight as to 
what is actually wrong or how to fix it.

How can I get the "avahi-daemon.service" to be *unmasked*?  How can I 
get the avahi-daemon.service to restart?

Can anyone give me any guidance or pointers?  Please!!!

cheers,

Rolf
-- 
Honorary Research Fellow
Department of Statistics
University of Auckland
Phone: +64-9-373-7599 ext. 88276