Cannot Update Macports Port Tree

Question

I've been trying to install a few ports ( wget, autoconf, coreutils, ... etc ) but it seems impossible !!! Here's what I have done step by step :

I'm using OS X 10.9.1 Mavericks and I've downloaded and installed macports using installation package (.pkg) from macports website. I had Xcode 5.0.2 already installed so I logged in my Apple iOS developer account, and downloaded command_line_tools_os_x_mavericks_for_xcode__late_october_2013.dmg and installed the package !

When I use sudo port install coreutils I get the following error: Error: Port coreutils not found

I thought (And Googled of course) it must be because I haven't updated macports. Then I tried using self update using : sudo port -v selfupdate which by the way was not successful and I got the following error log :

--->  Updating MacPorts base sources using rsync
rsync: failed to connect to rsync.macports.org: Operation timed out (60)
rsync error: error in socket IO (code 10) at /SourceCache/rsync/rsync42/rsync/clientserver.c(105) [receiver=2.6.9]
Command failed: /usr/bin/rsync -rtzv --delete-after rsync://rsync.macports.org/release/tarballs/base.tar     /opt/local/var/macports/sources/rsync.macports.org/release/tarballs
Exit code: 10
Error: Error synchronizing MacPorts sources: command execution failed
To report a bug, follow the instructions in the guide:
    http://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: port selfupdate failed: Error synchronizing MacPorts sources: command execution failed`

According to failed to connect to server message, I thought it may be caused because of restrictions and sanctions applied to my IP Address which by the way is currently from Iran (I figured that out because I cannot even open macports website directly without using a proxy server) ! I used the instructions in the following URL to reroute the connection and make Macports connect through a proxy server :

http://samkhan13.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/make-macports-work-behind-proxy/

The instruction above tries to connect and fetch the port tree using a .tar.gz archive over HTTP ! I didn't got that connection error anymore but I got some Could not access the file error, so I downloaded that file manually, set up an Apache web server locally, and replaced that HTTP URL with my localhost link.

Everything seemed to be fine by using

sudo port -v sync instead of sudo port -v selfupdate

Here's how the log started :

--->  Updating the ports tree
Synchronizing local ports tree from http://localhost/ports.tar.gz
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 24.6M  100 24.6M    0     0  98.9M      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 99.1M
x ports/
x ports/gnome/
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/Portfile
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/files/
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/files/patch-setup.py.diff
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/files/patch-win.diff
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/files/patch-fract4d_fractconfig.py.diff
x ports/gnome/gnofract4d/files/patch-fract4d-c-imageIO.cpp.diff
x ports/gnome/libchamplain/
x ports/gnome/libchamplain/Portfile
x ports/gnome/gconf/
x ports/gnome/gconf/Portfile
x ports/gnome/goocanvas/
x ports/gnome/goocanvas/Portfile
x ports/gnome/gstreamer1-gst-libav/
.
.
.

But in the end, I got some errors :

.
.
.
x ports/net/daemonlogger/Portfile
x ports/net/dibbler/
x ports/net/dibbler/Portfile
x ports/net/dibbler/files/
x ports/net/dibbler/files/0-enable-prefix.patch
x ports/net/dibbler/files/1-correct-man-pages.patch
x ports/PortIndex_darwin_11_i386/
x ports/PortIndex_darwin_11_i386/PortIndex.quick: gzip decompression failed
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors.
Command failed: cd /opt/local/var/macports/sources/localhost/ports/.. && /usr/bin/tar -v -z -xf ports.tar.gz
Exit code: 1
Error: Extracting http://localhost/ports.tar.gz failed (command execution failed)
port sync failed: Synchronization of 1 source(s) failed

---

Now, I still cannot install any ports, and if I revert that default link in /opt/local/etc/macports/sources.conf to its original RSYNC one, everything returns to the way it was ( all errors, all messages, etc ... )

If I don't revert and go on using the file I have put on my localhost ( or using file:// to address the file directly ) , here's what happens when I try to install a port ( for example, Using sudo port install coreutils ) :

Port extract failed: ports/PortIndex_darwin_11_i386/PortIndex.quick: gzip decompression failed
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors.
    while executing
"macports::fetch_port $path 1"
    (procedure "macports::getportdir" line 12)
    invoked from within
"macports::getportdir $source"
    (procedure "macports::getindex" line 4)
    invoked from within
"macports::getindex $source"
    (procedure "_mports_load_quickindex" line 11)
    invoked from within
"_mports_load_quickindex"
    (procedure "mportinit" line 577)
    invoked from within
"mportinit ui_options global_options global_variations"
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: Failed to initialize MacPorts, Port extract failed: ports/PortIndex_darwin_11_i386/PortIndex.quick: gzip decompression failed
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors.

I have Googled and read almost every solution that is suggested but NONE has worked out and I'm really stuck with this :(

Any NEW solution is really appreciated.

Answer 1

I recently had this problem as well since I'm travelling in china. You can also circumvent this by editing /opt/local/etc/macports/macports.conf

Change the following proxy addresses and it should work.

proxy_http               proxy1:12345
proxy_https              proxy2:67890
proxy_ftp                proxy3:02139
proxy_rsync              proxy4:11377

Here I copy the remarks in this file for reference:

Override proxy-related environment variables. By default, MacPorts takes proxy settings from the environment, from the proxy_* options below, and from Network Preferences, in that order. If this is set to "yes", MacPorts uses proxy_*, then Network Preferences, then the environment. (Note that Network Preferences does not have a setting for rsync proxies. Also note that sudo(8) sanitizes its environment on Mac OS X 10.5 and later, so it may have to be configured to pass desired variables to MacPorts.)

#proxy_override_env no

Answer 2

Instead of the main MacPorts mirror (which is sponsored by MacOSForge, which is run by Apple, which is thus bound to US law and export restrictions to Iran), you can use an alternate rsync mirror from the list at http://trac.macports.org/wiki/Mirrors.

If none of the rsync mirrors work for you, also read the FAQ entry for this very question: http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ#selfupdatefails.

Answer 3

No replies, and I Found the solution myself!

The only way to redirect RSYNC requests through a proxy server is to tunnel over an L2TP VPN connection ( not PPTP ). That's the only way to make Macports work behind a proxy server.

Hope this can help other guys who are stuck with this weird connection method.