What to do when Debian's Apt archives are full
Cleaning Day
![© Lead Image © Danila Krylov, 123RF.com © Lead Image © Danila Krylov, 123RF.com](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2024/280/cleaning-apt-cache/danila_krylov_123rf-cleaning.png/835406-1-eng-US/Danila_Krylov_123RF-Cleaning.png_medium.png)
© Lead Image © Danila Krylov, 123RF.com
Full Apt archives might be unexpected, but there are a few solutions if you encounter the issue.
After decades of using Linux, I often imagine that I know my way around. Yet, humblingly, sometimes it can still surprise me. The latest example came with the sudden discovery that I could no longer install or delete packages, although applications continued to run normally. My search for a solution eventually led me to a full apt-cache archives
, the directory in which removed packages are stored in case they are wanted. But let me start with the symptoms first so others can save time by going directly to ways to fix the problem.
I had never had such a problem before, so I was unprepared when it struck. In the last eight months, however, I had been exploring and deleting packages more often than usual, unknowingly setting up the condition that would cause the problem to strike. The first sign was a Flatpak package that suddenly refused to start. There was no notification of a newer version of the package, and at first I put the problem down to some vagary of Flatpak. To my bewilderment, I could not delete the package. Stranger still, I could not delete any DEBs, either. Instead, running apt-get dist-upgrade
, alone of all the basic actions attempted, produced a "no space left" message. Yet typical productivity apps such as Firefox and LibreOffice continued to run as usual.
That was a clue, had I realized it at the time, but the message had misled me to the conclusion that the system as a whole had a memory problem. Yet managing packages is far from the most intensive action on a Debian installation, and the free
command showed that the installed RAM had barely been touched, let alone the swap partition. Perhaps my use of six filesystems was the problem? Either /tmp
or /var
, the two most changeable partitions, could have filled without me noticing? I was quite prepared to crop a few gigabytes from the /home
partition, the largest of my filesystems, but GNU Parted showed plenty of space remained on all of them. Clearly, the problem was not system-wide, but what was it then? I began searching through /var
for deletable files, and there I discovered Apt's cache.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.