Apt-utills Apt install Issue

Troubleshooting
1

Creating a bug report/issue

Required Information

  • DietPi version | 8.6.1
  • Distro version | Bullseye 1
  • Kernel version | Linux DietPi 5.15.32+ #1538 Thu Mar 31 19:37:58 BST 2022 armv6l GNU/Linux
  • SBC model | RPi B+ (armv6l)
  • Power supply used | 5V USB Power Supply
  • SD card used | Samsung Pro 32 Gb

Additional Information (if applicable)

  • Software title | apt & apt-utils
  • Was the software title installed freshly or updated/migrated?
    freshly installed and then run update to update the OS
  • Can this issue be replicated on a fresh installation of DietPi?
    No, you have to successfully add the Sury PHP repository

Steps to reproduce

  1. Finish initial DietPi setup, then install ls-release
  2. Follow this guide for the Raspberry Pi OS version of the Sury Repository (Installing the Latest Versions of PHP on Raspberry Pi OS - Pi My Life Up)
  3. Run the command: apt install php8.0
  4. See error about apt-utils not being installed, then run: apt install apt-utils
  5. Error produced about how apt-utils can not be installed because apt-utils is not installed
  6. Try just about any built-in linux command

Expected behaviour

  • Should install apt-utils OR if an error, not break the rest of the OS and allow other built in commands to execute

Actual behaviour

  • Error message on just about every Linux command of “illegal Command”

Extra details

  • Things like dietpi-config and dietpi-software work, but this breaks apt, ls, dir, and other commands. I have to reformat my SD card and start with a fresh copy of the OS just to get basic functionality working again

  • Using the built-in SSH server to run commands and look at terminal output

2

Welcome to our community.

Usually it is not possible for apt package manager to break an entire system. Probably you have some file system corruption or a dying SD card. You could try checking for kernel error messages

dmesg -l err,crit,alert,emerg
3

This is btw not an error but an info that due to the missing package, possibly existing interactive package debconf options are not offered in a bunch before all package installs start, but during their installation. It is not required for anything than the comfort to pre-configure everything than go and drink a coffee, when you install a large number of packages :wink:.

However it shouldn’t break the system either of course.

The reason why your system breaks is that you install an ARMv7-only PHP on an ARMv6-only RPi. I’m also wondering why it breaks the whole system instead of only leading to a failing PHP service, but it’s known like that. I already reported this to Ondrej years ago, but since it is explicitly an ARMv7 repository, he didn’t find it reasonable to have a closer look.

If I remember right, it really is impossible now to do anything, especially purging the package again, right? So I’m AFRAID you need to reflash and stay with PHP7.4.

… ah another thought and explanation: The package pulls a lot of very basic system library upgrades from that repo, like libSSL. So every command with relies on any of those libraries is doomed to fail. Makes all sense then.