SDB:YaST Online Update Cannot Find any Patches on the Server (update.inf Is Missing)

Version: 7.3

Symptom

When you try to update your system with YaST Online Update (YOU), you obtain an error message reading:

Can't get the patches from server.
Please try to get patches from another SuSE FTP server.

Even though you follow these instructions, the error message is displayed again and again.

Cause

In this particular case, the file /var/lib/YaST/update.inf is missing from the system after the first installation. This file is usually created during the first installation and contains the number of the installed SuSE Linux version. This version number is used by YaST Online Update to determine the source path for the patches on the ftp server. Since this information is missing, the attempt to copy the patch description file from the ftp server fails. Unfortunately, the reason why this file is not available on the system after the first installation is not known yet.

Solution

Approach under SuSE Linux 7.3

In this case, it may help to reinstall one of the base packages (packages included in the series a, the package rpm being particularly suitable for this purpose) from the same installation medium by means of YaST. To do so, execute the command yast on the command line as root.

Select Package management, Change/create configuration, and series a -- Linux Base System. Then select the package rpm and press the space bar once. The package status changes from [i] to [R] in the first column of the table. Press the key F10 twice and select the item Start installation from the next menu. The package rpm will be reinstalled.

Now, YaST will create the missing file /var/lib/YaST/update.inf and you will be able to install the latest patches via YaST Online Update.

Approach under SuSE Linux 8.0

Insert the CD1 or DVD and open a console (monitor with shell on the KDE control bar). Now execute the following commands in the console:

su -
"root-passwort"
mount /cdrom
cp /media/cdrom/suse/setup/descr/info /tmp
cp /media/cdrom/suse/setup/descr/update.in_ /tmp
/usr/lib/YaST2/bin/create_update_inf /tmp
rm /tmp/info
umount /cdrom

If you are using a DVD instead of the CD, change the commands accordingly:

mount /dvd
cp /media/dvd/suse/setup/descr/info /tmp

This procedure works under SuSE Linux 7.3 as well. <keyword>YOU,online,update,update.inf,patches</keyword>