# Issue upgrading Python



## daemonSlayer (Feb 9, 2010)

I have been using python 2.5 on my freebsd machine for a while and I decided to upgrade to 2.6. I downloaded the .tgz and installed it fine. When I went to run Python, I got a dependency error, I needed libutils.so.8, ok fine. But I could not install it with 'pkg_add -r libutils.so.8' and I could not find the file at http://www.freebsd.org/ports. I then tried this procedure http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=1390
but once I got through with it, python would not work. When I typed 'python' to run the interpreter, it just said command not found. Is there an easy way to do this? I'd like to just wipe python out and start fresh with 2.6.


----------



## daemonSlayer (Mar 4, 2010)

Well I have resolved the problem after having given up for several weeks. All I did was go into /lib and did a cp libutil.so.7 libutil.so.8 and now Python 2.6.4 works. Hopefully the fix holds, seems pretty sketchy but i'm proud of it.


----------



## gilinko (Mar 4, 2010)

You really need to figure out how to use ports, because the _cp libutil.so.7 libutil.so.8_ have now in principal destroyed your base system.

Return the libutil.so file to it's proper location in /lib and install the python port found in lang/python26, for the 2.6 version of python.


----------



## DutchDaemon (Mar 4, 2010)

Agreed. Don't download and install tarballs from the net, and certainly don't copy and symlink libraries to get rid of 'annoying errors'. Use the ports tree, or use packages. Moreover: asking for help later will certainly confuse people who may not know you're not using a port/package, which may lead to wrong advice and a damaged system.

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/ports.html


----------



## daemonSlayer (Mar 4, 2010)

I tried installing 2.6.4 from ports as well but that is where I get the "libutil.so.8" required issue. This seems to be the only version of 2.6 in ports.


----------



## DutchDaemon (Mar 4, 2010)

/lib/libutil.so.8 is part of the base system on FreeBSD 8.


```
# ldconfig -r | grep libutil
	8:-lutil.8 => /lib/libutil.so.8
```

Did you install a FreeBSD 8 package on FreeBSD 7?


----------



## daemonSlayer (Mar 4, 2010)

Before trying to install Python I upgraded to 8.0 with this method:
`# freebsd-update upgrade -r 8.0-RELEASE`

I'm not sure if the Python port I installed was for 7 or 8, I just used pkg_add.


----------



## gilinko (Mar 4, 2010)

Did you go through the entire upgrade process?


```
# freebsd-update upgrade -r 8.0-RELEASE
# freebsd-update install

The system must be rebooted with the newly installed kernel before continuing.
# shutdown -r now

After rebooting, freebsd-update needs to be run again to install the new userland components:
# freebsd-update install

Run freebsd-update again so that it can delete the old (no longer used) system libraries:
# freebsd-update install

Finally, reboot into 8.0-RELEASE:
# shutdown -r now
```

It seems that you haven't completed the entire upgrade process, because in that case the _libutil.so.7_ would not exist and there would be a _libutil.so.8_ instead. My guess is that you are running a 8.0-RELEASE kernel with a 7.X-RELEASE userland, and that's a big problem.

After that it's also strongly recommended that you rebuild all installed ports.


----------



## daemonSlayer (Mar 5, 2010)

Ah yes! I forgot it run 
	
	



```
freebsd-update install
```
 after booting back up. I'm running 2.6.4 now! How exciting! Thanks everyone.


----------

