Cannot install syslog-ng on Ubuntu 14.04 due to unmet dependencies

Written by Claudio Kuenzler - 3 comments

Published on March 23rd 2016 - Listed in Linux

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Just tried to install syslog-ng on a new Ubuntu 14.04/trusty server when I came across this error:

# apt-get install syslog-ng
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 syslog-ng : Depends: syslog-ng-core (>= 3.5.3)
             Depends: syslog-ng-mod-sql
             Depends: syslog-ng-mod-mongodb
             Depends: syslog-ng-mod-json
             Recommends: syslog-ng-mod-smtp
             Recommends: syslog-ng-mod-amqp
             Recommends: syslog-ng-mod-geoip
             Recommends: syslog-ng-mod-redis
             Recommends: syslog-ng-mod-stomp
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Unfortunately the "unmet dependecies" information is not very helpful. The real problem is that this server already had rsyslog installed which conflicts with syslog-ng (why wasn't there any output informing about the conflict?). After I removed rsyslog...

# apt-get remove rsyslog
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  rsyslog ubuntu-minimal
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 2 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 1,639 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 94129 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing ubuntu-minimal (1.325) ...
Removing rsyslog (7.4.4-1ubuntu2.6) ...
rsyslog stop/waiting
Processing triggers for man-db (2.6.7.1-1ubuntu1) ...

... the installation worked this time:

 # apt-get install syslog-ng
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libesmtp6 libevtlog0 libhiredis0.10 libivykis0 libmongo-client0 libnet1
  syslog-ng-core syslog-ng-mod-amqp syslog-ng-mod-geoip syslog-ng-mod-json
  syslog-ng-mod-mongodb syslog-ng-mod-redis syslog-ng-mod-smtp
  syslog-ng-mod-sql syslog-ng-mod-stomp
Suggested packages:
  rabbitmq-server mongodb-server libdbd-mysql libdbd-pgsql libdbd-sqlite3
  activemq
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libesmtp6 libevtlog0 libhiredis0.10 libivykis0 libmongo-client0 libnet1
  syslog-ng syslog-ng-core syslog-ng-mod-amqp syslog-ng-mod-geoip
  syslog-ng-mod-json syslog-ng-mod-mongodb syslog-ng-mod-redis
  syslog-ng-mod-smtp syslog-ng-mod-sql syslog-ng-mod-stomp
0 upgraded, 16 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 864 kB of archives.
After this operation, 3,355 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Get:1 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe libhiredis0.10 amd64 0.11.0-3 [23.5 kB]
Get:2 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main libnet1 amd64 1.1.6+dfsg-2ubuntu1 [41.8 kB]
Get:3 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe libivykis0 amd64 0.36.2-1 [25.1 kB]
Get:4 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe libmongo-client0 amd64 0.1.7-1 [35.3 kB]
Get:5 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main libesmtp6 amd64 1.0.6-1ubuntu2 [41.0 kB]
Get:6 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe libevtlog0 amd64 0.2.12-6 [11.0 kB]
Get:7 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-core amd64 3.5.3-1 [510 kB]
Get:8 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-sql amd64 3.5.3-1 [24.8 kB]
Get:9 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-mongodb amd64 3.5.3-1 [20.6 kB]
Get:10 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-json amd64 3.5.3-1 [17.9 kB]
Get:11 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng all 3.5.3-1 [4,446 B]
Get:12 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-amqp amd64 3.5.3-1 [45.6 kB]
Get:13 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-geoip amd64 3.5.3-1 [7,266 B]
Get:14 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-redis amd64 3.5.3-1 [16.4 kB]
Get:15 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-smtp amd64 3.5.3-1 [18.3 kB]
Get:16 http://ch.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe syslog-ng-mod-stomp amd64 3.5.3-1 [20.9 kB]
Fetched 864 kB in 1s (827 kB/s)                
Selecting previously unselected package libhiredis0.10:amd64.
(Reading database ... 94082 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libhiredis0.10_0.11.0-3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libhiredis0.10:amd64 (0.11.0-3) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libnet1:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libnet1_1.1.6+dfsg-2ubuntu1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libnet1:amd64 (1.1.6+dfsg-2ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libivykis0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libivykis0_0.36.2-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libivykis0:amd64 (0.36.2-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libmongo-client0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libmongo-client0_0.1.7-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libmongo-client0:amd64 (0.1.7-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libesmtp6.
Preparing to unpack .../libesmtp6_1.0.6-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libesmtp6 (1.0.6-1ubuntu2) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libevtlog0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libevtlog0_0.2.12-6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libevtlog0:amd64 (0.2.12-6) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-core.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-core_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-core (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-sql.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-sql_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-sql (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-mongodb.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-mongodb_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-mongodb (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-json.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-json_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-json (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng_3.5.3-1_all.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-amqp.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-amqp_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-amqp (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-geoip.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-geoip_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-geoip (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-redis.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-redis_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-redis (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-smtp.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-smtp_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-smtp (3.5.3-1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package syslog-ng-mod-stomp.
Preparing to unpack .../syslog-ng-mod-stomp_3.5.3-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking syslog-ng-mod-stomp (3.5.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.6.7.1-1ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-16) ...
Setting up libhiredis0.10:amd64 (0.11.0-3) ...
Setting up libnet1:amd64 (1.1.6+dfsg-2ubuntu1) ...
Setting up libivykis0:amd64 (0.36.2-1) ...
Setting up libmongo-client0:amd64 (0.1.7-1) ...
Setting up libesmtp6 (1.0.6-1ubuntu2) ...
Setting up libevtlog0:amd64 (0.2.12-6) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-core (3.5.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-16) ...
Processing triggers for syslog-ng-core (3.5.3-1) ...
 * Stopping system logging syslog-ng                                                                           [ OK ]
 * Starting system logging syslog-ng                                                                           [ OK ]
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-amqp (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-geoip (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-redis (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-smtp (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-stomp (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-sql (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-mongodb (3.5.3-1) ...
Setting up syslog-ng-mod-json (3.5.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for syslog-ng-core (3.5.3-1) ...
 * Stopping system logging syslog-ng                                                                           [ OK ]
 * Starting system logging syslog-ng                                                                           [ OK ]
Setting up syslog-ng (3.5.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.19-0ubuntu6.7) ...

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Comments (newest first)

Laszlo Budai from wrote on Mar 24th, 2016:

Yes, it will (and when you remove rsyslog, it will remove also ubuntu-minimal... this is something I cannot deal with, it is an rsyslog/Ubuntu packaging issue).

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ck from Switzerland wrote on Mar 24th, 2016:

Thanks for the hint, Laszlo. I actually didn't try that. Will it remove rsyslog, too?

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Laszlo Budai from wrote on Mar 24th, 2016:

Try 'apt-get install syslog-ng-core'.
It will work.

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