puppetlabs/puppet · error · Puppet::DevError

No version of %{name} matching %{should} is installable, eve

Error message

No version of %{name} matching %{should} is installable, even though the package is currently installed

What it means

Raised as Puppet::DevError inside `insync?` (lib/puppet/provider/package/pkg.rb:184) for the Solaris `pkg` provider. When the desired version is not a full FMRI version string, the provider probes pkg's installable candidates for the installed package; if no candidate matches (`pkg install -n` style probes never returned 0/4 in a usable way), it concludes the wanted version is not installable and raises.

Source

Thrown at lib/puppet/provider/package/pkg.rb:184

        begin
          unhold if properties[:mark] == :hold
          status = exec_cmd(command(:pkg), command, *options, "#{name}@#{p[:ensure]}")[:exit]
        ensure
          hold if properties[:mark] == :hold
        end

        case status
        when 4
          # if the first installable match would cause no changes, we're in sync
          return true
        when 0
          warning(_("Selecting version '%{version}' for implicit '%{should}'") % { version: p[:ensure], should: should })
          @resource[:ensure] = p[:ensure]
          return false
        end
      }
      raise Puppet::DevError, _("No version of %{name} matching %{should} is installable, even though the package is currently installed") %
                              { name: name, should: should }
    end

    false
  end

  # Return the version of the package. Note that the bug
  # http://defect.opensolaris.org/bz/show_bug.cgi?id=19159%
  # notes that we can't use -Ha for the same even though the manual page reads that way.
  def latest
    # Refresh package metadata before looking for latest versions
    pkg(:refresh)

    lines = pkg(:list, "-Hvn", @resource[:name]).split("\n")

    # remove certificate expiration warnings from the output, but report them
    cert_warnings = lines.select { |line| line =~ /^Certificate/ }
    unless cert_warnings.empty?

View on GitHub (pinned to e227c27540)

Solutions

1. Verify the version exists: `pkg list -af <name>@<version>` must show an installable candidate.
2. Pin the full FMRI version exactly as shown by `pkg list -av <name>` (component version, branch, timestamp).
3. Refresh publisher metadata with `pkg refresh --full` and confirm `pkg publisher` lists the expected repositories.
4. Correct or relax the `ensure` value in the manifest, then re-run the agent.

Example fix

# before
package { 'web/server':
  ensure   => '1.9',
  provider => pkg,
}

# after - pin the full version string reported by `pkg list -av web/server`
package { 'web/server':
  ensure   => '1.9.7,5.11-0.151020:20200701T012345Z',
  provider => pkg,
}

# Confirm an installable candidate exists before pinning ensure in the manifest
pkg list -af "${name}@${version}" | grep -q . || echo "no installable candidate - fix ensure value first"

When it happens

Trigger: `ensure => '1.9'` (partial version) where no publisher offers a build matching it; the installed package's version has been removed from every configured publisher; wrong publisher set pinned on the host.

Common situations: Typo or overly-short version pinned in the manifest; repo removed an old build; using versions copied from a different publisher's FMRI.

Related errors

• Unknown format %{resource_name}: %{full_flags}[%{bad_flag}]
• Unknown format %{resource_name}: %{state}
• Unknown line format %{resource_name}: %{parse_line}
• Unable to unfreeze %{package}
• Pkg could not install %{name} after %{tries} tries. Aborting

AI-assisted analysis of puppetlabs/puppet@e227c27540 (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/acde4b3b02cdbb43. Report an issue: GitHub.