The y argument tells pacman to update the package list. This is so your computer is downloading the new packages instead of old ones from last time you updated it. The second y tells it to delete the old package list and download it from scratch. This is useful if pacman isn’t working correctly. Maybe the files got corrupted. But it wastes more resources for the repo so it is not recommended as a default.
Oh wow, I have always thought the y stands for “yes to any questions”
turns out it has a --noconfirm
Should have read the man page…
-y, --refresh
Download a fresh copy of the master package databases (repo.db) from the server(s)
defined in pacman.conf(5). This should typically be used each time you use--sysupgrade or -u. Passing two --refresh or -y flags will force a refresh of all
package databases, even if they appear to be up-to-date.
pacman-keyring or what that package is called gets stale really quick over longer periods of time. Large updates are quite smooth in Arch, but IIRC, -Syyu has helped me before.
The extra y just forces a database update. The mechanism to detect when not to update the database is a simple timestamp compare, and shouldn’t break. archlinux-keyring might need a “manual” update if an Arch Linux system is left without updates for a longer period of time. That’s the only situation doing pacman -Sy, then pacman -S archlinux-keyring is recommended, and it needs to be followed with pacman -Syu to avoid a partial upgrade.
Was any of this different in the later 2010s? Thanks for that, but I feel like there was a time when there was a mentioning of a database upgrade in the wiki.
Why would you run -Syyu? -Syu is what you want 99% or the time.
Noob here what is the difference?
also why would an extra but the same character
ymake a difference? Is that common in the arch linux ecosystem?The y argument tells pacman to update the package list. This is so your computer is downloading the new packages instead of old ones from last time you updated it. The second y tells it to delete the old package list and download it from scratch. This is useful if pacman isn’t working correctly. Maybe the files got corrupted. But it wastes more resources for the repo so it is not recommended as a default.
Oh wow, I have always thought the
ystands for “yes to any questions” turns out it has a--noconfirmShould have read the man page…
-y, --refresh Download a fresh copy of the master package databases (repo.db) from the server(s) defined in pacman.conf(5). This should typically be used each time you use --sysupgrade or -u. Passing two --refresh or -y flags will force a refresh of all package databases, even if they appear to be up-to-date.Y is a mnemonic for Refresh, of course!
Not everyone uses their computer all the time.
Still no reason … unless the repo is volatile, and potentially you have a corrupt version, a simple -Syu is always enough.
Over a year, many repos become relative volatile.
pacman-keyring or what that package is called gets stale really quick over longer periods of time. Large updates are quite smooth in Arch, but IIRC, -Syyu has helped me before.
The extra
yjust forces a database update. The mechanism to detect when not to update the database is a simple timestamp compare, and shouldn’t break.archlinux-keyringmight need a “manual” update if an Arch Linux system is left without updates for a longer period of time. That’s the only situation doingpacman -Sy, thenpacman -S archlinux-keyringis recommended, and it needs to be followed withpacman -Syuto avoid a partial upgrade.Was any of this different in the later 2010s? Thanks for that, but I feel like there was a time when there was a mentioning of a database upgrade in the wiki.
Maybe I’m confusing it with multilib enabling
Pfft, the losers 😎