Error Installing Git with Apt-Get

Question

When I attempt to install git on a server distribution of Ubuntu 11.04, I get an error. I used the following command:

sudo apt-get install git

And that generated this error:

(Reading database ... 
dpkg: warning: files list file for package `git' missing, assuming package has no files currently installed.
(Reading database ... 20310 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace git 1:1.7.4.1-3 (using .../git_1%3a1.7.4.1-3_i386.deb) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: 12: dpkg-maintscript-helper: not found
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/git_1%3a1.7.4.1-3_i386.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 127
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/postrm: 14: dpkg-maintscript-helper: not found
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
 subprocess new post-removal script returned error exit status 127
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/git_1%3a1.7.4.1-3_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I'm using the following repositories:

# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04.3 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20090713.1)]/ hardy main restricted
# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates main restricted


## main & restricted repositories
# deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main restricted
# deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main restricted

#deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu lucid-security main restricted
#deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu lucid-security main restricted

## universe repositories
#deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid universe
#deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid universe
#deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates universe restricted main
#deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates universe

#deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu lucid-security universe
#deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu lucid-security universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty universe
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu 
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to 
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in 
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty multiverse
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty multiverse
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates multiverse
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates multiverse

Anyone have any idea what's going on or how I can fix this and get git to install?

[edit] Here's the output of apt-cache policy dpkg:

dpkg:
  Installed: 1.15.5.6ubuntu4
  Candidate: 1.16.0~ubuntu7.1
  Version table:
     1.16.0~ubuntu7.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-updates/main Packages
     1.16.0~ubuntu7 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/main Packages
 *** 1.15.5.6ubuntu4 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

And now apt is completely broken. I attempted to update dpkg, because I noticed that it was a couple versions out of date. It failed because it couldn't install git. I attempted apt-get purge, apt-get clean and apt-get update. Still the same problem. I attempted to remove git and got this:

Removing git-core ...
dpkg: error processing git (--remove):
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal.
Errors were encountered while processing:
 git
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 02 '12 at 19:18

Alright, I got it fixed. I had to manually remove the package and then force dpkg to clear itself. Afterwards I installed it from git-core and that worked fine. To manually remove the package I went to

/var/cache/apt/archives

And removed git_1%3a1.7.4.1-3_i386.deb file. After that I went to

/var/lib/dpkg/info

And did an ls | grep git and removed everything that turned up. Afterwards, I ran

sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq git

To clean dpkg of the package. Once that was done I was able to install git from git-core instead of the git package and it worked just fine.

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 01 '12 at 22:00

5

Just in case: it is apt-get install git-core, not just apt-get install git.

answered Feb 01 '12 at 22:00

Marc-André Appel

1,204

1

I'm not sure when it changed, but git should also work, not just git-core. Certainly in natty, the git package really is git – Hamish Downer Feb 01 '12 at 22:12
Since 10.04 I had to do git-core, else I got the same error message. – Marc-André Appel Feb 01 '12 at 22:13
Nope, same error. – Daniel Bingham Feb 02 '12 at 16:56
The description for git-core says "obsolete". – Louis Waweru May 29 '13 at 03:29
1

Originally, the git package was for the GNU Interactive Tools, wich noone actually uses. Nowadays, git refers to the Git VCS, and git-core is deprecated. – Jörg W Mittag Dec 06 '14 at 13:06

Error Installing Git with Apt-Get

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