24

I realize there are dozens of "apt-get update: failure to fetch" questions (I read through all I could find), but my present circumstance is unique to 12.04 and it affects all sources; not just launchpad. Additionally, I've tried several different servers in Europe and the U.S. as well as the "main server" (wherever that is) and they all yield the same result: I can't connect to any software sources.

Additionally, I'm fairly certain the problem stems from the upgrade from 11.10->12.04 I performed this morning, as updates worked immediately before.

Updates from the Update Manager worked fine and I could download some things (mutter) from the Software Center without incident, which makes me think I can connect to some subset of the Ubuntu servers (however, several other Ubuntu servers--like extras--and some canonical servers are listed as 'unable to connect').

Here is the output from sudo apt-get update:

sudo apt-get update
Ign http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise InRelease
Ign http://archive.canonical.com precise InRelease                                                                        
Ign http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-updates InRelease                                                                    
Ign http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-backports InRelease                                                                  
Err http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-security InRelease                                                                    

Err http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise Release.gpg                                                                           
  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:
Err http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-updates Release.gpg                                                                  
  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:
Err http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-backports Release.gpg                                                                
  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:
Err http://ftp.u-picardie.fr precise-security Release.gpg                                                                 
  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise Release.gpg                                                                      
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise Release                                                                          
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner i386 Packages                                                              
Ign http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner TranslationIndex                                    
Ign http://dl.google.com stable InRelease                                                            
Ign http://dl.google.com stable InRelease                                                    
Err http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner Translation-en_US                           
  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]
Err http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner Translation-en                              
  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com precise InRelease                                               
Get:1 http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg [198 B]                                        
Err http://extras.ubuntu.com precise Release.gpg                                      
  Could not connect to extras.ubuntu.com:80 (91.189.88.33). - connect (111: Connection refused)
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                        
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                             

Get:2 http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg [198 B]                      
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg                           
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:
Get:3 http://dl.google.com stable Release [1,347 B]
Get:4 http://dl.google.com stable Release [1,347 B]
Get:5 http://dl.google.com stable/main i386 Packages [1,268 B]
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main TranslationIndex
Get:6 http://dl.google.com stable/main i386 Packages [769 B]
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en_US                                                                                 
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en                                                                                    
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en_US                                                                                 
Ign http://dl.google.com stable/main Translation-en                                                                                    
Fetched 5,127 B in 7s (673 B/s)                                                                                                        
Reading package lists... Done
W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/dists/precise-security/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/elementary-os/stable/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/elementaryart/elementary-dev/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/midori/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/nemequ/sqlheavy/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/ricotz/docky/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/sgringwe/beatbox/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/y-ppa-manager/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/yorba/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/dists/precise-updates/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/dists/precise-backports/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/dists/precise-security/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ftp.u-picardie.fr:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/partner/i18n/Translation-en_US  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]

W: Failed to fetch http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/partner/i18n/Translation-en  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]

W: Failed to fetch http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Could not connect to extras.ubuntu.com:80 (91.189.88.33). - connect (111: Connection refused)

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/caffeine-developers/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/elementary-os/stable/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/elementaryart/elementary-dev/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/midori/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/nemequ/sqlheavy/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/ricotz/docky/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/sgringwe/beatbox/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/y-ppa-manager/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Failed to fetch http://ppa.launchpad.net/yorba/ppa/ubuntu/dists/precise/Release.gpg  Unable to connect to ppa.launchpad.net:http:

W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://ppa.launchpad.net/nemequ/sqlheavy/ubuntu/ precise/main i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/ppa.launchpad.net_nemequ_sqlheavy_ubuntu_dists_precise_main_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://ppa.launchpad.net/sgringwe/beatbox/ubuntu/ precise/main i386 Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/ppa.launchpad.net_sgringwe_beatbox_ubuntu_dists_precise_main_binary-i386_Packages)

Contents of /etc/apt/sources.list:

# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 11.10 _Oneiric Ocelot_ - Release i386 (20111012)]/ oneiric main restricted
deb-src http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise main restricted #Added by software-properties

# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise main restricted
deb-src http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise multiverse universe #Added by software-properties

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-updates main restricted
deb-src http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-updates restricted main multiverse universe #Added by software-properties

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team. Also, please note that software in universe WILL NOT receive any
## review or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise universe
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu 
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to 
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in 
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise multiverse
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-updates multiverse

## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-backports main restricted universe multiverse #Added by software-properties

deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-security main restricted
deb-src http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-security restricted main multiverse universe #Added by software-properties
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-security universe
deb http://ftp.u-picardie.fr/mirror/ubuntu/ubuntu/ precise-security multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's
## 'partner' repository.
## This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is offered by Canonical and the
## respective vendors as a service to Ubuntu users.
# deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu oneiric partner
# deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu oneiric partner

## This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is offered by third-party
## developers who want to ship their latest software.
deb http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main
deb-src http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main

Testing Alternate sources.list file

These are the steps I followed to produce the following output:

  1. Please backup your sources.list: sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.backup

  2. and then replace the contents of /etc/apt/sources.list with the below lines and run apt-get update:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner
deb http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main 

Output:

someone@someone-UBook:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign http://archive.canonical.com precise InRelease
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise Release.gpg                           
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise Release                               
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com precise InRelease                                
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates InRelease                        
Hit http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner i386 Packages                 
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com precise Release.gpg                               
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports InRelease                      
Ign http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner TranslationIndex              
Err http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner Translation-en_US             
  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]
Err http://archive.canonical.com precise/partner Translation-en                
  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com precise Release                                   
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise Release.gpg [198 B]                    
Ign http://dl.google.com stable InRelease                                      
Err http://dl.google.com stable InRelease                                      

Err http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg                                    
  Unable to connect to dl.google.com:http: [IP: 173.194.34.38 80]
Err http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg                                    
  Unable to connect to dl.google.com:http: [IP: 173.194.34.38 80]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates Release.gpg [198 B]            
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com precise/main i386 Packages                        
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports Release.gpg [198 B]          
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security InRelease                      
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com precise/main TranslationIndex                     
Err http://extras.ubuntu.com precise/main Translation-en_US                    
  Unable to connect to extras.ubuntu.com:http:
Err http://extras.ubuntu.com precise/main Translation-en                       
  Unable to connect to extras.ubuntu.com:http:
Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security Release.gpg [198 B]          
Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise Release [49.6 kB]                      
Get:6 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security Release [49.6 kB]            
Get:7 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates Release [49.6 kB]              
Get:8 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports Release [49.6 kB]            
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/main i386 Packages [32.9 kB] 
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/main i386 Packages [1,274 kB]         
Get:11 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:12 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/universe i386 Packages [8,594 B]
Get:13 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/multiverse i386 Packages [1,393 B]
Get:14 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/main TranslationIndex [73 B]
Get:15 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/multiverse TranslationIndex [71 B]
Get:16 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/restricted TranslationIndex [70 B]
Get:17 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/universe TranslationIndex [72 B]
Get:18 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/main Translation-en [13.6 kB]
Get:19 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/multiverse Translation-en [587 B]
Get:20 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/restricted Translation-en [14 B]
Get:21 http://security.ubuntu.com precise-security/universe Translation-en [6,261 B]
Get:22 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/restricted i386 Packages [8,431 B]    
Get:23 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/universe i386 Packages [4,796 kB]     
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise InRelease                                 
Get:24 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Get:25 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Get:26 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg                               
Get:27 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg                               
Get:28 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Get:29 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg                               
Get:30 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg [316 B]                    
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release.gpg                               
Get:31 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Get:32 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Get:33 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/multiverse i386 Packages [121 kB]     
Get:34 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release                                   
Get:35 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/main TranslationIndex                    
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/multiverse TranslationIndex              
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release                            
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/restricted TranslationIndex              
Get:36 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/universe TranslationIndex                
Get:37 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Get:38 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/main i386 Packages [96.5 kB]  
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release                                   
Get:39 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release [11.9 kB]                      
Get:40 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/restricted i386 Packages [770 B]
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise Release                                   
Get:41 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/universe i386 Packages [27.7 kB]
Get:42 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [524 B]                   
Get:43 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/multiverse i386 Packages [1,393 B]
Get:44 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [507 B]      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/main TranslationIndex     
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/multiverse TranslationIndex      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/restricted TranslationIndex      
Get:45 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [932 B]            
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/universe TranslationIndex 
Get:46 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [1,017 B]    
Get:47 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/main i386 Packages [559 B]  
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Get:48 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:49 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/universe i386 Packages [1,391 B]
Get:50 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [1,402 B]          
Get:51 http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/multiverse i386 Packages [14 B]
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/main TranslationIndex   
Get:52 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [1,605 B]    
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/multiverse TranslationIndex
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/restricted TranslationIndex    
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/universe TranslationIndex      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/main Translation-en               
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/multiverse Translation-en                
Get:53 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [931 B]                   
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/restricted Translation-en         
Get:54 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [1,079 B]           
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise/universe Translation-en                  
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/main Translation-en              
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources                              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/multiverse Translation-en 
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages                 
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/restricted Translation-en 
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-updates/universe Translation-en          
Get:55 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [3,611 B]                 
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/main Translation-en            
Get:56 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [2,468 B]    
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/multiverse Translation-en      
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex              
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/restricted Translation-en      
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com precise-backports/universe Translation-en        
Get:57 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [1,524 B]                 
Get:58 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [2,719 B]           
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex                     
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources                              
Hit http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages                        
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex                     
Get:59 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [1,052 B]                 
Get:60 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [1,388 B]           
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex                     
Get:61 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources [1,185 B]                 
Get:62 http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages [1,698 B]           
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main TranslationIndex                     
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Sources                              
  404  Not Found
Err http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main i386 Packages                        
  404  Not Found
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en_US                    
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net precise/main Translation-en                       
Fetched 6,699 kB in 15s (445 kB/s)                                             
Reading package lists... Done
W: Failed to fetch http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/dists/stable/InRelease  

W: Failed to fetch http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/partner/i18n/Translation-en_US  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]

W: Failed to fetch http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/partner/i18n/Translation-en  Unable to connect to archive.canonical.com:http: [IP: 91.189.92.150 80]

W: Failed to fetch http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/dists/sta
3
  • Please paste the contents of your /etc/apt/sources.list file.
    – ish
    May 12, 2012 at 12:04
  • @izx updated the question accordingly.
    – weberc2
    May 12, 2012 at 13:15
  • 1
    I got this when running on a VM because I hadn't told it about our the corporate proxy server. Jun 11, 2014 at 2:07

6 Answers 6

19

Yes, the name server update does work and if it does work then you've probably updated your IP settings to be static and your server can no longer resolve URLs.

Try the above and if it works, reboot. If it fails after rebooting, then do this:

Edit the template file for the resolv.conf. Ubuntu server rebuilds this every boot.

sudo vi /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail

#add just these two lines >>
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4  

Then save the file and restart the service:

sudo /etc/init.d/resolvconf restart

8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are just Google's Name Servers. You should be able to add in your own ISP's if you want. If you don't like vi, use nano or vim.

I figured it out reading this article. So credit to them for the tip.

1
  • 7
    Adding nameserver options to /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail is not the solution to anything. First, any other addresses provided to resolvconf will take precedence. Second, nameserver configuration generally has to be dynamic (depending on the network environment and on what interfaces are active) whereas the tail file is static. Beyond this, there is no indication that the reported problem is one of name resolution.
    – jdthood
    Oct 29, 2012 at 14:02
6

I just found the answer here. Evidently apt can't handle very many software sources, so I was able to solve my problem by deselecting all except the one I needed to access. This would be a real pain to do frequently, but it's better than nothing. From the site:

From the "Other Software" tab, disable all PPA repositories, leaving only the official Ubuntu repositories active. Enabling too many PPA repositories (which are non-official) can cause your package manager to become unstable.

1
  • 2
    Can you quote the relevant snippet here for future reference?
    – Mahesh
    Aug 27, 2012 at 18:36
5

Add the line nameserver 8.8.8.8 to your /etc/resolv.conf.

This sets alternate DNS servers (the public DNS servers run by Google), in case it's a DNS problem. It's similar, though not identical, to this other answer (which was posted later, and gives a different method for essentially the same reconfiguration).

2
  • 9
    There is no indication that the reported problem is one of name resolution.
    – jdthood
    Oct 29, 2012 at 14:03
  • For me, this helped.
    – rundekugel
    Feb 4 at 19:51
2

This is caused by some proxy packages like anon_proxy, it passes all of HTTP connections through a local proxy using an environment variable. So, to change this edit /etc/environment and comment out HTTP_PROXY and http_proxy in last two lines.

1

I have got the same issue, and I was keep checking /etc/apt/sources.list with no luck finding the problematic source. It turns out there is a /etc/apt/sources.list.d directory with bunch of files I have added through the past. I have found the invalid file in that directory, and removed it.

The apt-get update and upgrade is working perfect now.

0

Try sudo ldconfig /usr/bin/gpg. See: https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/677711/114401

It worked for me. sudo apt update now works again.

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