Version conflicts on UBUNTU fenics install

Please open a terminal (ctrl-alt-t) and issue the following command:

apt-cache policy fenics dolfin-doc dolfin-bin python-dolfin libdolfin0-dev

When the command has completetd please select all text (edit - select all) copy it (edit copy) and paste it into a new message of this question thread.

This command will not resolve the problem, but should provide some details to help finding the cause and a solution.

Thanks for your help. This is the result of the command execution you requested:

ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$ apt-cache policy fenics dolfin-doc dolfin-bin python-dolfin libdolfin0-dev
dolfin-bin:
  Installed: 0.9.10-1build1
  Candidate: 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1
  Version table:
     0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/fenics/ppa/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
 *** 0.9.10-1build1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
python-dolfin:
  Installed: 0.9.10-1build1
  Candidate: 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1
  Version table:
     0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/fenics/ppa/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
 *** 0.9.10-1build1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libdolfin0-dev:
  Installed: 0.9.10-1build1
  Candidate: 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1
  Version table:
     0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/fenics/ppa/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
 *** 0.9.10-1build1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
dolfin-doc:
  Installed: 0.9.10-1build1
  Candidate: 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1
  Version table:
     0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/fenics/ppa/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
 *** 0.9.10-1build1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
fenics:
  Installed: 11.02-1
  Candidate: 11.05-2~ppa1~natty1
  Version table:
     11.05-2~ppa1~natty1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/fenics/ppa/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
 *** 11.02-1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$

The output given by you shows that fenics 11.02-1 is currently installed, and the update to 11.05-2 (from the fenics ppa) is pending.

Please try the following commands in a terminal:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

and then select_all/copy/paste all output as done before.

Thank you again. Here are the results. I notice it concludes by daying that dolfin was "kept back" but it is not obvious to me why that should be.

ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty InRelease
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates InRelease
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty Release.gpg
Get:1 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates Release.gpg [198 B]
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty Release
Get:2 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates Release [27.2 kB]
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Sources
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Sources
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/main i386 Packages
Hit http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe i386 Packages
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe TranslationIndex
Get:3 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main Sources [98.1 kB]
Get:4 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe Sources [22.1 kB]
Get:5 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main i386 Packages [286 kB]
Get:6 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe i386 Packages [80.2 kB]
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe TranslationIndex
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Translation-en
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main Translation-en
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe Translation-en
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security InRelease
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net natty InRelease
Get:7 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security Release.gpg [198 B]
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net natty Release.gpg
Get:8 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security Release [27.2 kB]
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net natty Release
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net natty/main Sources
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Sources [63.5 kB]
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net natty/main i386 Packages
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net natty/main TranslationIndex
Get:10 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Sources [9,829 B]
Get:11 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main i386 Packages [165 kB]
Get:12 http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe i386 Packages [31.9 kB]
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe TranslationIndex
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net natty/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net natty/main Translation-en
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Translation-en
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Translation-en
Fetched 812 kB in 2s (371 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  dolfin-bin dolfin-doc fenics libdolfin0 libdolfin0-dev python-dolfin
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$

I also cannot see the reason that the fenics and dolphin packages are kept back. To find out a bit more please issue the following command in a terminal:

apt-get --simulate dist-upgrade

and then copy/paste the output as done before.

This command will not do anything, just simulate what the apt-get dist-upgrade would do.
The difference between apt-get upgrade and apt-get dist-upgrade is that upgrade will never remove a package, but dist-upgrade might remove one package when it then is able to install more other packages.

If the dist-upgrade command produces a reasonable solution and if you are happy with it, you can execute the command "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" to execute the solution. Of course you can also wait that someone else has a look at your simulation output first.

Thank you for your persistence. My reading of this result is that dist-upgrade would not change anything.

ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$ apt-get --simulate dist-upgrade
NOTE: This is only a simulation!
      apt-get needs root privileges for real execution.
      Keep also in mind that locking is deactivated,
      so don't depend on the relevance to the real current situation!
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  dolfin-bin dolfin-doc fenics libdolfin0 libdolfin0-dev python-dolfin
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$

That is not the output I hoped to see.

Try this command:

sudo apt-get install dolfin-bin dolfin-doc fenics libdolfin0 libdolfin0-dev python-dolfin

and copy/paste the output as done before.

ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$ sudo apt-get install dolfin-bin dolfin-doc fenics libdolfin0-dev python-dolfin
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:
 libdolfin0-dev : Depends: libdolfin0 (= 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1) but 0.9.10-1build1 is to be installed
                  Depends: libcgal-dev but it is not installable
                  Depends: libparmetis-dev but it is not installable
 python-dolfin : Depends: libdolfin0 (= 0.9.11-2~ppa1~natty1) but 0.9.10-1build1 is to be installed
                 Depends: libcgal5 but it is not installable
                 Depends: libparmetis3.1 but it is not installable
E: Broken packages
ubuntu@ip-10-212-187-173:~$

ok, there are new packages listed as dependencies.

These packages are in the multiverse repository, see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories
Apparently you have not enabled the multiverse repository and consequently the installation attempt fails.

It seems that only the new fenics and dolfin packages in the fenics ppa depend on the packages libcgal and libparmetis from the multiverse repository.

You can decide now:
Either remove the fenics ppa and take fenics 11.02-1 as already installed, in that case you can keep your standards of using the main and universe repositories only,
or enable the multiverse repository (if you can accept the licensing terms) and upgrade to the ppa version 11.05-2