B01 - works, but cannot install or upgrade packages

[tbort]

I successfully installed Arch on a B01 per the instructions [ http://archlinuxarm.org/platforms/armv6 ... provideov3 ]. I have a functional OS but cannot install or upgrade anything (same for all packages, example output below):

[root@POGO ~]# pacman -S ufw
resolving dependencies...
looking for inter-conflicts...

Targets (4): iptables-1.4.12.2-1 python2-2.7.2-5 sqlite3-3.7.10-1 ufw-0.30.1-1

Total Download Size: 0.11 MiB
Total Installed Size: 70.72 MiB

Proceed with installation? [Y/n] Y
:: Retrieving packages from community...
ufw-0.30.1-1-any 208.0 B 689K/s 00:00 [#######################################################################################] 100%
ufw-0.30.1-1-any 4.2 KiB 4.30K/s 00:01 [#######################################################################################] 100%
(4/4) checking package integrity [#######################################################################################] 100%
error: failed to commit transaction (wrong or NULL argument passed)
Errors occurred, no packages were upgraded.

I thought it might be pacman so I tried to manually re-install it, but I'm told I don't have the right c compiler. If I try to install base-devel, I get the "wrong or NULL argument passed" error above, and so into an endless loop.

Any ideas here? thanks

[WarheadsSE]

pacman -Syu ?

[tbort]

I did try that... no effect

[root@POGO ~]# pacman -Syu
:: Synchronizing package databases...
core 208.0 B 8.66K/s 00:00 [#######################################################################################] 100%
core is up to date
extra 208.0 B 915K/s 00:00 [#######################################################################################] 100%
extra is up to date
community 208.0 B 911K/s 00:00 [#######################################################################################] 100%
community is up to date
aur 208.0 B 903K/s 00:00 [#######################################################################################] 100%
aur is up to date
:: Starting full system upgrade...
warning: initscripts: ignoring package upgrade (2011.07.3-1 => 2012.01.3-1)
there is nothing to do

seems happy, but still the same error when I try to install/upgrade

[WarheadsSE]

It does indeed seem happy. When is the last time you rebooted the unit?

Also, googling this yields a lot.

https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/26764

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=133791

[tbort]

Yes, indeed I found those posts earlier - they don't seem to apply to my problem.
I have no .part files and I've rebooted quite a few times.

[tbort]

Getting weirder. I did one last pacman -Syy, rebooted and then couldn't log in - wrong password. After many desperate attempts and wondering if my sanity was going, I tried my PogoPlug root password (the one you enter when you enable SSH at my.pogoplug.com). Sure enough, it worked, and now Arch is gone and my original PogoPlug is back online.

I thought my USB flash drive might have failed but I can read it's contents in my account at my.pogoplug.com, so just the Arch boot failed somehow (but I thought once you installed Arch your Plug was never going back by itself?)

Maybe it's a USB compatibility issue. It's a Sony model that has always worked well for this type of thing in the past, however.

[WarheadsSE]

I'd say that it is just plain odd that it magically reverted at all, since any oxnas based plug technically should be incapable of booting minus a SATA or USB rootfs after the install procedure.

[tbort]

Since I got a freebie with my Pogo restored to factory (really, it happened), I went through Arch installation using another brand of USB thumbdrive and now everything works fine.

Hopefully something can be learned here - the magical reset of my Pogo is intriguing. thanks

[WarheadsSE]

I think the magical reset may have come from some odd ECC failure of the uboot variables.