Error installing dependencies on Debian - linux

Question

I am trying to use phantomjs on a VPS, but it requires fontconfig as a dependency. So I ran apt-get install fontconfig.
(The SSH session is in french, so used google translate)
Root # vps27533: ~ / grab / phantomjs-2.1.1-linux-i686 / bin # sudo apt-get install fontconfig
Reading Package Lists ... Done
Building the dependency tree
Reading status information ... Done
You can run "apt-get -f install" to correct these problems:
The following packages contain unsatisfied dependencies:
  Libc6-i686: i386: Predependent: libc6: i386 (= 2.13-38 + deb7u8) but 2.13-38 + deb7u11 should be installed
E: Dependencies not satisfied. Try apt-get -f install without package
(Or indicate a solution).
So I then ran sudo apt-get -f install
Root # vps27533: ~ / grab / phantomjs-2.1.1-linux-i686 / bin # sudo apt-get -f install
Reading Package Lists ... Done
Building the dependency tree
Reading status information ... Done
Fixed dependencies ... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  Libc6 libc6-i686: i386
Suggested Packages:
  Glibc-doc
The following packages will be updated:
  Libc6 libc6-i686: i386
2 updated, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 184 not updated.
4 partially installed or removed.
It is necessary to take 0 o / 5 616 kb in the archives.
After this operation, an additional 22.5 KB of disk space will be used.
Would you like to continue [Y / n]? O
Reading change files ("changelog") ... Completed
Preconfiguration of packages ...
(Read the database ... 51662 files and directories already installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6: amd64 2.13-38 + deb7u8 (using ... / libc6_2.13-38 + deb7u11_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking the libc6 update: amd64 ...
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
Dpkg: warning: the old post-removal script subprocess returned a status output error 1
Dpkg: Attempting to run the script of the new package instead ...
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
Dpkg: processing error of /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.13-38+deb7u11_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 The new post-removal script subprocess returned a status output error 1
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by / bin / sh)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncurses.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.14 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
/ Bin / sh: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.15 'not found (required by /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5)
Dpkg: error when cleaning:
 The pre-installed script subprocess installed has returned a status output error 1
Errors were encountered during execution:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.13-38+deb7u11_amd64.deb
E: Subprocess / usr / bin / dpkg returned an error code (1)
I am extremely confused about how to get the new version of libc6, which is what I think it requires. So I even ran sudo apt-get install libc6
Root # vps27533: ~ / grab / phantomjs-2.1.1-linux-i686 / bin # sudo apt-get install libc6
Reading Package Lists ... Done
Building the dependency tree
Reading status information ... Done
You can run "apt-get -f install" to correct these problems:
The following packages contain unsatisfied dependencies:
  Libc6-i686: i386: Predependent: libc6: i386 (= 2.13-38 + deb7u8) but 2.13-38 + deb7u11 should be installed
E: Dependencies not satisfied. Try apt-get -f install without package
(Or indicate a solution).
How can I get this to work? What should I do? any help is greatly appreciated

Answer 1

This sounds like you might not have a repository list that includes the packages you need. I would suggest first to make sure you have an encompassing repository list /etc/apt/sources.list, such as the following (this one is for Debian 8 Jessie):
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ jessie/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ jessie-updates main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian jessie-backports main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian jessie-backports main contrib non-free
Then I would run this as root to try to fix and upgrade packages:
apt-get -y update
sleep 1
dpkg --configure -a
sleep 1
apt-get -y install -f
sleep 1
dpkg --configure -a
sleep 1
apt-get -y update
sleep 1
apt-get -y dist-upgrade
After that, I suggest to reboot and try to (re)install the packages you want. If you still have problems, try to remove (purge) the offending packages (ex: apt-get -y --purge remove package), reboot, reinstall the packages and test again.

Answer 2

Try running:
sudo apt-get install libc6=2.13-38+deb7u8 fontconfig
This is issue of apt which cannot install non-candidate dependencies and the older libc6 is a non-cadidate dependency which it fails to install (see apt-get install specific version with non-cadidate dependencies).
If you explicitly asks apt-get install to install specific version, it will do so (unless it needs another non-candidate package, in which case you need to explicitly list this on on command line...)