[SOLVED] Strange error message when updating Pacman

Question

I get a following error message when updating pacman and doing system upgrades:
[mike@goat ~]$ sudo pacman -Syu
:: Synchronizing package databases...
core is up to date
extra is up to date
community is up to date
:: Starting full system upgrade...
resolving dependencies...
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
looking for inter-conflicts...
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
error: could not open file /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/depends: No such file or directory
I tried running pacman -Syyu, but that did not seem to solve the problem.  There is /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl-0.9.8l-1/
directory but it is empty.  When running pacman -S openssl, I get the above error message as well but it spans for hundreds of buffer lines.  In the end I end up with this:   
openssl: /usr/share/man/man3/ssl.3.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man3/ui.3.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man3/ui_compat.3.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man3/x509.3.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man5/config.5.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man5/x509v3_config.5.gz exists in filesystem
openssl: /usr/share/man/man7/des_modes.7.gz exists in filesystem
Errors occurred, no packages were upgraded.
[mike@goat ~]$
Anybody have any insight?
Thanks,
maschinetheist
Last edited by maschinetheist (2010-03-02 17:18:42)

Answer 1

Bregol wrote:
Sounds to me like openssl is installed on your system but the info on it is now missing from the local pacman database (/var/lib/pacman/local).  In other words, pacman forgot that you installed it.  So in your second clip of code, pacman is complaining that files belonging to openssl exist in your filesystem, since you do have it installed but it no longer knows that.
Don't know if this is the proper way to fix it, but I imagine forcing a reinstall of openssl (pacman -Sf openssl) should get pacman to reinstall openssl so that it knows it is installed.
Bregol,
pacman -Sf openssl
seemed to have fixed it.  Did not know of the force reinstall option.  The necessary directories in /var/lib/pacman/local/openssl have been created.
Thanks,