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I tried Manjaro circa 2019 for a couple of years as my main Linux Desktop. I had no major problems with it. An occasional minor problem this nVidia graphic card and some minor issues with updates. Having used Debian / Ubuntu the past 10 years on servers I decided to switch to Debian testing desk top with XFCE. Debian testing basically give a similar level of latest updates as Manjaro/Arch. I have not bothered with Manjaro since then.

Manjaro has been relatively so simple and easy to set up there are not really a lot of notes at this times.

  • Archlinux NFS
  • How to check mounted drives:
    • mount -l | grep nfs or mount -l | grep davfs
  • Scanning:
    • I had a license of Vuescan, so I installed the Linux version of this. Found a flatpak / snap package for the latest version on line….. (Avoid the use of snap packages as this is a propriety Ubuntu system.)
    • There are also also built in packages for scanners, called sane….
  • For PDF software I have got licenses for Foxit Pro (Phantom) which is one of the best PDF tools I have used, alas they do not make a Linux version of this. so I purchased a license of Qoppa PDF Studio 2019 Pro. So far it looks pretty good….
  • The CUPS printer interface is on web page; localhost:631
  • The PDF printer definition file was found at /usr/share/cups/model/
  • The default PDF printer output directory is /var/spool/cups-pdf/user/, where user is the user name.
  • Setup printer Epson WF7720 following on screen directions (Now that WF77200 and WF7725 are fully compatible.) Looks like there is a full driver for WF-7525, but do not know how compatible with WF7725.
  • Flatpak update will update flatpak packages.
  • The CUPS systemd unit file is: cups.service and cups.socket

The CUPS error log is at /var/log/cups/error_log
The CUPS configuration file is at /etc/cups/cupsd.conf
CUPS - Print Server


I have been using XFCE as my preferred server remote VNC gui now for more than 6 years. It seems to follow the UNIX model and focuses on doing this well. With my desktop Manjaro setup it was a nature choice. It also seems to be the preferred option on Manjaro. Some options XFCE environment apps worth considering:

  • Whisker Menu ⇒ to adjust the XFCE main menu

Some other applications that I use:

  • Qoppa PDF Studio Pro ⇒ A full propriety PDF program, Qoppa seems to be the only one that provides a Linux solution. Previously on Windows I preferred Foxit Pro, however they to not provide a Linux version.
  • Calibre - Book Library and reader software (I have been having some trouble with corruption of the database the past few months)

There is a standard software install for Conky in Manjaro. I adjusted my server configuration file to suit, sudo vim ~/.config/conky/conky.conf

conky.conf


To get to Xfce keyboard Short cuts: Xfce Menu > Settings > Keyboard > Application Shortcuts :

  • PrtSc : to snap entire desktop
  • Shift+PrtSc : to snap active desktop window
  • Shift+Ctrl+PrtSc : to snap a dragged window

“unable to lock database” or “failed to synchronize any databases” errors

sudo rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck
This command removes Pacman's database lock. The database lock prevents multiple Pacman instances from running at the same time and interfering with each other.
ATTENTION: Only run this command when no other Pacman instance (e.g. Pacman, Yaourt, Pamac, Octopi, PacmanXG4, …) is running.

Some other pacman commands to consider

sudo pacman-mirrors -g && sudo pacman -Syy or sudo pacman-mirrors -f && sudo pacman -Syyu
This command searches for working and good Manjaro repository mirrors/servers. It will automatically choose the closest server for you. The second command forces a redownload of the latest package database from the best Manjaro repository mirror.

sudo dirmngr </dev/null
Sometimes during key management the package “dirmngr” outputs error messages, which interrupt key management processes (such as the following commands). This command prevents any output from “dirmngr”.

sudo rm -r /etc/pacman.d/gnupg &>/dev/null
This command deletes your Pacman, Manjaro, and Arch key database. It does not output an error in case the package “gnupg” is not installed on your system.
ATTENTION: This command will remove all keys from your system, including manually installed keys (with “sudo pacman-key –lsign-key <KEY>”). Please remember to reinstall those keys again after FIX ERRORS has completed!

sudo pacman -Sy gnupg archlinux-keyring manjaro-keyring
This command (re-)installs the “gnupg” package and keyrings for Arch Linux and Manjaro. Pacli actually does not use this command but instead downloads and installs these packages manually. This makes it possible to install these packages even if no other packages can be installed on your system due to key database errors.
ATTENTION: If you want to execute this command on a system with key database problems, it will not work for you! In this case, connect manually (via your browser) to your Manjaro repository server, download these packages, and install these packages manually. Pacli will do all of this automatically for you. If this part of Pacli fails, please wait a couple of hours until your Manjaro mirror has synchronized with the main Manjaro repository and offers the latest version of these 3 packages: gnupg, archlinux-keyring, manjaro-keyring.

sudo pacman-key –init && sudo pacman-key –populate archlinux manjaro
These two commands create a fresh key for you and (re-)install all keys from Arch Linux and Manjaro. This will solve problems with your local key database and Manjaro's and Arch's key database. Such problems can occur when new new Arch Linux or Manjaro packagers get added, for example.
ATTENTION: This command only works, when your system time is set correctly, becasue checking and importing keys or fingerprints is time sensitive! Please make sure of that before you run FIX ERRORS. If you have not set your timezone and/or summer saving time, you should still be able to import keys, though.
ATTENTION: This command might take a long time to complete. If your system appears to stop or hang, it searches for entropy in order to generate a new key for you. In this case, it might help to do file operations with a lot of reads and/or writes per minute (such as searching for files, copying large directories, etc.). Alternatively, you can open a browser and do some heavy surfing (with a lot of mouse movements, mouse klicks, and keyboard key presses): This can help to generate entropy much faster.

sudo pacman -Sc
After an unsuccessful attempt to update your system (which quit with a key error), you might have already downloaded unsigned packages to your pacman cache. These packages cannot be installed anymore.
This command removes all packages from your pacman cache, which are not installed on your system. Afterwards, you need to download all previously downloaded but unsuccessfully installed packages again.
ATTENTION: This command makes it impossible to DOWNGRADE PACKAGES on systems without an active internet connection.

sudo pacman -Syyuu
This last command forces a re-download of the latest package database from the best Manjaro repository mirror. Then, all your installed packages are checked against this latest package database. If an updated package is available from the Manjaro repositories, it will get downloaded and installed on your system. If an installed package is newer than the same package in the Manjaro repositories, the installed package will get downgraded. This behavior ensures your packages are always in sync with the Manajro repositories, even if you have just switched the Manjaro mirror or switched from unstable to stable branch.

pacman returns every package as corrupted

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  • Last modified: 2024-02-25 Sun wk08 17:02
  • by baumkp