errors upgrading from 14.04 to 16.04 about Unknown Multi-Arch type for compiz, libkf5akonadisearch-bin packages

Question

I'm trying to upgrade my 14.04 machine to 16.04 using do-release-upgrade. After downloading the package lists for wily, I see the following errors:

Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-core'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-gnome'
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python-cffi-backend-api-max
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python-cffi-backend-api-min
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python3-cffi-backend-api-max
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python3-cffi-backend-api-min
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'libkf5akonadisearch-bin'
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package php-psr-http-message-implementation
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package php-psr-log-implementation
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package php-math-biginteger
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-core'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-gnome'
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python-cffi-backend-api-max
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python-cffi-backend-api-min
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python3-cffi-backend-api-max
Ignoring Provides line with DepCompareOp for package python3-cffi-backend-api-min
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'libkf5akonadisearch-bin'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-core'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-gnome'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-core'
Unknown Multi-Arch type 'no' for package 'compiz-gnome'
You may want to run apt-get update to correct these problems

It then proceeds to abort the installation. The suggested run of apt-get update doesn't seem to do anything. Googling for the above error messages yielded others having similar problems when upgrading to other, previous releases, although I've not come across any apparent fixes. It's suggested that an apt upgrade could fix the problem, but I don't see a way to easily do that (it's up to date with the latest trusty package).

What should I do in order to upgrade directly to 16.04?

Solution 1

This is a bug in apt, and yes, the fix is to upgrade apt.

Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and uncomment these lines:

deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ wily main restricted
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ wily-updates main restricted

Now run apt-get update and you'll see the same errors about 'Unknown Multi-Arch type'.

Now upgrade apt:

apt-get install --only-upgrade apt

Now run the release installer:

do-release-upgrade

:)

Solution 2

What seems to have worked for me was

apt-get -f install libc6
apt-get install --only-upgrade apt

Solution 3

You have to do this:

sudo apt-get install -f

Comments

[Josip Rodin]

It looks like those three packages - libkf5akonadisearch-bin, compiz-core, compiz-gnome have broken meta data, though it's unclear whether that is so in the old ones or in the new ones. In case it's in the old packages, could you try removing the three temporarily and see if it helps?

[Josip Rodin]

Also, if it's 16.04 you want, that should be xenial, not wily.

[Doug]

Fwiw, this is not an issue with the installed packages; I get it too, and I don't have any of those packages installed.

[sstringer]

Agreed with @Doug. None of these packages are installed for me, and I still get the error. Totally stuck.

[Random-Ubuntu-User]

Isn't that os version very old? Does your computer support a newer version?

[sstringer]

Unfortunately, this didn't work for me. Tried several mirror variants and I always get "apt is already the newest version" and still the original show-stopping error described by OP.

[Doug]

@sstringer All I can suggest is make absolutely sure that you're updated the sources list and are pulling down the package list from the next major version (ie. Wily). apt-get update should show it downloading a whole pile of packages. ...sorry I can't be more help. This is a super frustrating bug I know. All I can say is: However you do it, you need to upgrade apt to get past the issue, it's the only solution I've ever found to this issue.

[Michael Cole]

I used this to help with w/ a Mint 17->18 upgrade. These errors seem like false positives.

[Elder Geek]

apt-get doesn't have a -t option.

[koppor]

One has to ensure that no apt-pinning is in place.

[Software_Programineer]

It does actually, the -t flag is for --target-release.