From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Apr 22 15:33:59 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6807A106566C for ; Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:33:59 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lars@larseighner.com) Received: from mail.team1internet.com (mail.team1internet.com [216.110.13.10]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 38D198FC0A for ; Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:33:59 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lars@larseighner.com) Received: by mail.team1internet.com (Postfix, from userid 12346) id 7D47A16B84E; Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:33:58 -0500 (CDT) Received: from larseighner.com (unknown [216.110.13.99]) by mail.team1internet.com (Postfix) with SMTP id 85AB916B536; Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:33:56 -0500 (CDT) Received: by larseighner.com (nbSMTP-1.00) for uid 1001 lars@larseighner.com; Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:31:32 -0500 (CDT) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:31:31 -0500 (CDT) From: Lars Eighner X-X-Sender: lars@debranded.6dollardialup.com To: Richard DeLaurell In-Reply-To: <4324dbec0904220716l6f3f0108td4a67dc58f46e10d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20090422103001.T5640@qroenaqrq.6qbyyneqvnyhc.pbz> References: <4324dbec0904220716l6f3f0108td4a67dc58f46e10d@mail.gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed X-Sanitizer: Anomy and SpamAssassin mail filter - see http://www.6dollardialup.com/support/spaminfo.html Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: "unable to completely remove directory" during deinstall X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:33:59 -0000 On Wed, 22 Apr 2009, Richard DeLaurell wrote: > This is undoubtedly a very "newbie" question, but I have seen this type of > error a few times recently: > > pkg_delete: unable to completely remove directory '/directory.name' > pkg_delete: couldn't entirely delete package (perhaps the packing list is > incorrectly specified?) This is more-or-less normal, especially if the application was ever used before being deinstalled. This is often the result of configuration files being altered --- which you might had done knowingly with an editor or which might have been done by the application itself when you ran it. If you used an editor, you might have left an artifact, like an editor backup in the directory. Generally it is a good thing. Many times the configuration will not change in any fatal way, so you can run on the old configuration file until you go through the new distribution configuration to see what, if anything, has changed and what needs updating. Even if the old configuration won't work, you are likely to want it handy as you edit the new configuration file, because there is no point in reinventing the wheel on things that haven't changed. At any rate, deinstall is doing the right thing when it doesn't delete stuff that it can't identify positively as stuff that was installed. > It occurs at the end of a "deinstall" as a matter of updating a port "by > hand". > > What is the proper procedure to correct this? Run "pkgdb -F"? Rm the > offending files/dirs by hand? Both? If you really want to do this, you have to remove the files/directories by hand. So far as the pkgdb is concerned, there won't be anything wrong whether you do it or not. > The updated packages seem to run okay afterward if I ignore these errors; > however, I am certain that they are really just swept under the carpet for > the time being and will reemerge in the future (at a moment of maximum > inconvenience no doubt). The only downside here is that you may accumulate a bit of kruft in application directories --- generally no concern given modern drive sizes. But as I have said, some of that kruft may be helpful at times. If you have like a tidiness thing, I'd suggest you not delete the kruft but move it to some backup directory and let it gather dust. Very rarely there is a major shake-up in which it does matter --- such as when xorg moved. In those cases there should be a heads-up in UPDATING. > Also, is "make deinstall" the same as "uninstall"? I could be wrong because I never use anything other than 'make deinstall' but I don't find an 'uninstall' target in the port makefiles. A few applications have a uninstall command, and that is not the same thing. IOW, I don't know. -- Lars Eighner http://www.larseighner.com/index.html 8800 N IH35 APT 1191 AUSTIN TX 78753-5266