Hi Brian, >> This morning I wanted to do an apt-get update / upgrade cycle on my >> system. The update went ok, but during the upgrade I got a " No space >> left on device" warning. >> [...] >> Preparing to replace ssh 1:6.0p1-4+deb7u3 (using >> .../ssh_1%3a6.0p1-4+deb7u4_all.deb) ... >> Unpacking replacement ssh ... >> Processing triggers for man-db ... >> /usr/bin/mandb: can't write to /var/cache/man/8774: No space left on >> device Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme ... >> Processing triggers for mime-support ... >> [...] >> >> My /var partition had filled up, it seems out of the 3GB there was >> about 2.5GB in /var/cache/apt/archives. The solution was simple, just >> an apt-get autoclean, I now have 2.2GB free on my /var partition. ;-) >> >> But..... What wanted apt write to that mandb and was that important? > > Apt calls dpkg and it is during the course of installing with dpkg that the > triggering process occurs. You can see this by doing > > dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives//openssh-server_1%3a6.0p1-4+deb7u4_i386.deb
Just did that again and it completed normaly. That is what I needed to know, now I know the mandb is up2date as well. Thanks. >> /usr/bin/mandb: can't write to /var/cache/man/8774: No space left on >> device Was that that man page for ssh or something like that? > > Yes. mandb has an interest in what happens in /usr/share/man. Changes there > lead to its updating its database. > For reasons you give it didn't happen, so dpkg issues a *warning*. > Nothing too serious to stop the unpacking and setting up of all the updated > packages. Well a disk full warning is pretty serious. But I get what you mean, a warning from mandb maintenance itself is not serious enough, just the reason why that happened. >> After cleaning up I did another apt-get upgrade but it reported >> nothing to do. > > This is to be expected, surely. All packages are at their newest versions. I had hoped the failed mandb update would register somewhere and a second attempt to "upgrade" would fix it. Turns out I needed that dpkg line to do that. >> So if it failed to update some files why did it >> complete anyhow? > > Would you rather the upgrade came to a halt because of some relatively minor > issue? Yes and no, according to apt-get it was a minor issue of a mandb update, the roor cause was a majot issue. > > apt-get --reinstall install openssh-server > > could be run after space is freed up. I did it by running the dpkg line, same end result I guess. Thank for the explanation and help fixing it. Bonno Bloksma
