1

I have an Ubuntu 14.04 machine and when trying to upgrade packages I get errors about unmet dependencies.

My question is, How do I upgrade everything else but the packages with unmet dependencies? I tried:

apt-mark hold <package name>

I can see that the package is in "hold" status, But still cannot upgrade, same error.

Also tried:

apt-get install --only-upgrade <package name>

still cannot upgrade, same error.

I don't mind even using a script to install packages one by one and skipping the problematic ones, but nothing works.

How can I get around this?

Zanna
  • 70,465
Komar Patel
  • 11
  • I have seen the other question and it did not answer the question, and as stated in my question I already done the hold part, the package that has the the problem is openjdk-8-jre-headless and openjdk-9-dbg. also I am on closed network and we have our own internal ubuntu repo replicated from the world. – Komar Patel Jul 09 '18 at 15:15
  • @user535733 I suspect your comment is actually the answer, and since many users are likely to wonder the same thing, it would certainly be helpful if you would post it as one IMHO – Zanna Jul 09 '18 at 19:11

1 Answers1

2

Apt considers 'unmet dependencies' to be a critical and usually fatal error: The software lacks files that the packager felt it needs for minimal function. The error cannot be bypassed, muted, or ignored.

It is not related to apt's marking (hold) feature.

In MOST cases (but not this case!) a 'missing dependency' error is caused by a user's mistake with an unwise source or unfortunate package version, and is most easily corrected by simply undoing the mistake or by agreeing to apt's package-based solution. If you found this solution by searching, this probably applies to you.

Dependencies are often between packages that come from entirely different upstreams, and there is room for disagreement. If you disagree with the packager's decision and can recommend an alternative that enhances the package's usefulness, please feel free to raise a bug or contact them directly to discuss how the packaging and requirements can be refined. Most deb packagers are volunteers.

If you have the skills, you can avoid the problem entirely by installing the software using a non-deb method. This method is more complex than using packages, and is NOT recommended for beginners.

user535733
  • 62,253