Can't get Java to update from Java 7 to Java 8

Question

I am trying to update Java on my Ubuntu server to Java 8, but I get an error message and Java wont update.

error message: Errors where encountered while processing E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I used:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java

Then:

sudo apt update

Gave error:

Failed to fetch ......binary-amd64/Packages 404 not found
Failed to fetch ......binary-i386/Packages 404 not found
E: some files failed to download. Thay have been ignored,or old ones used instead.

Then:

sudo apt install oracle-java8-installer

Gave error:

E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I also tried sudo apt-get -f install and it gave this output:

Debconf : DbDriver "config" : /var/cache/deconf/config.dat is locked by another process: resource temorarily unavalable
Dpkg: error processing pacage openssh-server (--configure):
 Subprocess installed post-instalation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 openssh-server
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I have not used my 16.10 server for a year and it has not been updated in 2 years.

I used sudo apt-get update and got this output:

sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-get update
[sudo] password for sijmen:
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty InRelease
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty Release.gpg
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty Release
Err http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main amd64 Packages
  404  Not Found
Err http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main i386 Packages
  404  Not Found
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main Translation-en
W: Failed to fetch http: 
/ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-amd64/Packages  404  Not Found
W: Failed to fetch http: 
/ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-i386/Packages  404  Not Found
E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

Then I ran sudo apt-get install oracle-java-8-installer and it gave this output:

sijmen@dell:~$ sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-get install oracle-java-8-installer
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
sijmen@dell:~$: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ [sudo] password for sijmen:
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
[sudo]: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Reading package lists... Done
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Reading: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Building dependency tree
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Building: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Reading state information... Done
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Reading: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ E: Unable to locate package oracle-java-8-installer
WARN 
E:: command not found

Then I ran sudo apt-add-repository --remove ppa:webupd8team/java and got this output.

sijmen@dell:~$ sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-get install oracle-java-8-installer
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
sijmen@dell:~$: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ [sudo] password for sijmen:
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
[sudo]: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Reading package lists... Done
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Reading: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Building dependency tree
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Building: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ Reading state information... Done
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
Reading: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ E: Unable to locate package oracle-java-8-installer
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
E:: command not found
sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-add-repository --remove ppa:webupd8team/java
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
 Oracle Java (JDK) Installer (automatically downloads and installs Oracle JDK7 / JDK8 / JDK9). There are no actual Java files in this PPA.
Important -> Why Oracle Java 7 And 6 Installers No Longer Work: http://www.webupd8.org/2017/06/why-oracle-java-7-and-  6-installers-no.html
Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak is no longer supported by Canonical (and thus, Launchpad and this PPA). The PPA supports Ubuntu 17.10, 17.04, 16.04, 14.04 and 12.04.
More info (and Ubuntu installation instructions):
- for Oracle Java 7: http: //www.webupd8.org/2012/01/install-oracle-java-jdk-7-in-ubuntu-via.html
- for Oracle Java 8: http: //www.webupd8.org/2012/09/install-oracle-java-8-in-ubuntu-via-ppa.html
Debian installation instructions:
- Oracle Java 7: http: //www.webupd8.org/2012/06/how-to-install-oracle-java-7-in-debian.html
- Oracle Java 8: http: //www.webupd8.org/2014/03/how-to-install-oracle-java-8-in-debian.html
Oracle Java 9 (for both Ubuntu and Debian): http://www.webupd8.org/2015/02/install-oracle-java-9-in-ubuntu-linux.html
Oracle JDK 9 is now considered stable. There are currently only 64bit builds (no other builds are available for download: http: //www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html )
 More info: https://launchpad.net/~webupd8team/+archive/ubuntu/java
Press [ENTER] to continue or ctrl-c to cancel removing it
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNI    NG:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'

Then I ran sudo apt-get update and it gave this output:

sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty InRelease
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty Release.gpg
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty Release
Err http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main amd64 Packages
  404  Not Found
Err http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main i386 Packages
  404  Not Found
Ign http: //ppa.launchpad.net trusty/main Translation-en
W: Failed to fetch http: //ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-amd64/Packages  404  Not Found
W: Failed to fetch http: //ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-i386/Packages  404  Not Found
E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

Then I ran sudo apt-get install openjdk-8-jdk and it gave this output:

sijmen@dell:~$ sudo apt-get install openjdk-8-jdk
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package openjdk-8-jdk

also for the current java version:

sijmen@dell:~$ java -version
java version "1.7.0_76"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_76-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.76-b04, mixed mode)

I have fixexd the problem bu updating my very old version of ubuntu. — Sijmen Bommel van, Apr 07 '18 at 10:14

karel · Answer 1 · 2022-04-19T01:25:03.750

There is no package named oracle-java8-installer in ppa:webupd8team/java. The correct name of the package is oracle-java-8-installer. Open the terminal and type:

sudo apt update  
sudo apt install oracle-java-8-installer

Alternatively you can install Java 8 from the default repositories in all currently supported versions of Ubuntu. Remove the ppa:webupd8team/java repository from your software sources with sudo apt-add-repository --remove ppa:webupd8team/java, update the package list with sudo apt-get update and run this command:

sudo apt install openjdk-8-jdk

If you still get the Debconf : DbDriver "config" : /var/cache/deconf/config.dat is locked by another process: resource temporarily unavailable error message then solve it by following the answers to "debconf: DbDriver "config": config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable" while installing packages.

Ubuntu 16.10 is end of life release, so you can't install packages in 16.10 yakkety yak anymore or update it. What most people would do in a situation like this is to install either 16.04 which is the latest long term support release or install 17.10. Otherwise you can continue to do it the wrong way like this: How to install software or upgrade from an old unsupported release? — karel, Jan 15 '18 at 22:28

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 06 '18 at 06:44

W: Failed to fetch http: 
/ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-amd64/Packages  404  Not Found
W: Failed to fetch http: 
/ppa.launchpad.net/thefrontiergroup/vsftpd/ubuntu/dists/trusty/main/binary-i386/Packages  404  Not Found

These errors indicate that these two ppas no longer exist. Remove them from /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d

There is no reason to have them, since vsftp exists in the main repositories.

Also I suggest you upgrade to 17.10 since 16.10 isn't supported anymore.

Once the repositories were removed,

sudo apt update

should work, and then you can install Java 8.

Can't get Java to update from Java 7 to Java 8

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