Not sure what I did wrong this time. When attempting an update, any package that comes from repo.maboxlinux.org is throwing a 404 error on my laptop. This does not allow me to update at all. I can ping that address, so I know the repo is not actually down. I am also. not getting this error on my VirtualBox build on my desktop.
I also get the error in the GUI package manager, though a bit less verbose.
I was able to manually download the packages and install them from my local drive. This allowed me to complete the system update.
I am thinking I messed up something in the pacman configuration files or the mirror list.
What files are responsible? I’d like to replace them with known good files from my desktop and get this working again.
Oh, yeah. Really good chance, considering all the trouble I had with the GPGME errors. I fiddled with all sorts of stuff.
This is why I want need to know which files are responsible so I can put known good files from my desktop in place and just start over. I do not want to have to reinstall everything on the laptop.
Yes I know I should have made backups and/or commented my changes so I could just change it back easily.
I think that worked. I made a copy of the unedited file to have for reference and rescue if this happens again.
I am still a bit Arch-illiterate, my three Linux servers all run Debian and I have been doing things the Debian Way for almost 20 years, At my age, I am stuck in my ways. I’m trying to learn new things. And I love the way your Mabox does an Openbox desktop. It’s elegant as hell and I have found nothing in the Debian world that comes close. It’s worth a little discomfort under the hood.
Sorry for the late reply Claudio; just saw your question.
If you ever need to recover the /etc/pacman.conf, use one of these methods:
Start from the .pacnew or .pacsave
If either file exists, it’s the quickest route: sudo cp /etc/pacman.conf.pacnew /etc/pacman.conf
The stock file may not include the Mabox repo, so you may have to add that block back (see below).
Extract it from the pacman package
The file belongs to the pacman package. You don’t need a working pacman to pull it from your existing package cache:
ls /var/cache/pacman/pkg/pacman-[0-9]*.pkg.tar.zst
sudo tar -xOf /var/cache/pacman/pkg/pacman-<version>.pkg.tar.zst etc/pacman.conf | sudo tee /etc/pacman.conf
If the file is only deleted and pacman still runs, sudo pacman -S pacman puts it back. A reinstall won’t overwrite a file that exists but is broken, though, and pacman refuses to run at all if the config is missing or unreadable. In either of those cases, use the above tar method.
Add the Mabox parts back
The stock file may not have these, so ensure this repo block is above [core]:
[maboxlinux]
SigLevel = PackageRequired
Server = https://repo.maboxlinux.org/stable/$arch/
The new pacman 7.x options in the .pacnew, like DownloadUser = alpm, are worth merging in too.
After that, check that everything works:
sudo pacman -Syy
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux manjaro mabox # if you get key errors
Tips
Once your current file works, back it up: sudo cp /etc/pacman.conf /etc/pacman.conf.bak
Another way to merge the .pacnew file is sudo pacdiff. (For vim help, see here).
It comes with pacman-contrib and lets you view, merge or remove each .pacnew from the terminal.
