[RESOLVED] `opkg update` resets when rebooting?

huxflux

Hi, I might be derping hard here. I have to run opkg update every time I reboot the Onion Omega. If not, opkg list will only show a small amount of packages. So I run opkg update then opkg list and everything is fine. Lots of packages. I reboot and run opkg list and it's the same as before I did opkg update. It shows only a few packages.

Basically, everytime I reboot the Onion Omega I have to run opkg update. Is this intentionally?

Luciano S.

How do you switch of your Omega? Are you doing always a halt before switching it off?

If not, try this once before switch it off and tell us if you still have to redo the steps.

huxflux

Makes no difference. Same behaviour as without halt. I have to opkg update to get the full list.

Luciano S.

@huxflux said:

Hi, I'm using the Onion Omega with USB as hdd.

What do you use?:
1.1 pivot-overlay moves writable part of filesystem only to a USB-storage.
1.2 pivot-root copies the whole root filesystem to the USB-storage

huxflux

I use pivot-overlay

Luciano S.

I'm sure there is missing something in the tutorial, to cover this kind of changes we do on the Omega. So if you boot again you not have present what you made before.
You understand what i mean? The Omega copies read only data to a read/write filesystem on the USB but not write it back to the read only data.
If you boot again it takes the old read only data where not has the info from opkg update

That's why I got almost crazy and removed to use USB as Memory.

huxflux

Everything else seem to be persistent. So I'm not sure what's up with opkg update. Maybe it puts the files somewhere it doesn't get saved. Hmhm.. it's quite obvious that's what might be happening here..

Luciano S.

I do have a hidden file i used with the Omega (.fs_state). I guess there it should be stored a info like this ?!

But never mind .. this is a case for the @administrators

huxflux

When I execute opkg update the files are downloaded and put in /var/opkg-lists/. Now, /var points to /tmp/ .. and I'm pretty sure /tmp/ doesn't get saved when you reboot.

I find it strange we have a symbolic link var -> /tmp

Edit: Thinking of it, this might be intentionally. Saves space on the storageunit.

Igor Moura

That's actually a feature from OpenWRT (not strictly to the Omega itself) to save space on embedded devices, since most of them won't have the luxury to spend precious space with a list of packages that's not-so-often used

huxflux

Hehe yes, makes sense. Thank you! I'll just set this as [resolved].

Lazar Demin

Just wanted to officially confirm @Igor-Moura is correct: opkg stores it's data in the /tmp directory that gets cleared after every boot.
The benefits are that it saves space and it increases the likelihood that you have the most recent set of package listings. The downside is that you have to run opkg update after every boot lol.