How can I automatically fix W: Target Packages … is configured multiple times?

Question

I just installed Ubuntu Gnome 16.04. I told it to save my documents - which worked. Some software had to be reinstalled. Now when I run sudo apt-get update I see this:

W: Target Packages (main/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (main/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (main/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (main/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (main/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (main/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (main/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (restricted/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (restricted/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (restricted/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (restricted/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (multiverse/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (multiverse/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (multiverse/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (multiverse/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: The repository 'http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial Release' does not have a Release file.
N: Data from such a repository can't be authenticated and is therefore potentially dangerous to use.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
W: http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/dists/stable/Release.gpg: Signature by key 4CCA1EAF950CEE4AB83976DCA040830F7FAC5991 uses weak digest algorithm (SHA1)
W: http://repo.sinew.in/dists/stable/InRelease: Signature by key B6DA722E2E65721AF54B93966F7565879798C2FC uses weak digest algorithm (SHA1)
E: Failed to fetch http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial/main/source/Sources  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.92.152 80]
E: Failed to fetch http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial/main/binary-amd64/Packages  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.92.152 80]
E: Failed to fetch http://extras.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial/main/binary-i386/Packages  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.92.152 80]
E: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
W: Target Packages (main/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (main/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (main/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (main/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (main/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (main/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (main/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (restricted/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (restricted/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (restricted/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (restricted/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (restricted/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-i386/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Packages (multiverse/binary-all/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (multiverse/i18n/Translation-en_GB) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target Translations (multiverse/i18n/Translation-en) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11 (multiverse/dep11/Components-amd64.yml) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87
W: Target DEP-11-icons (multiverse/dep11/icons-64x64.tar) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:33 and /etc/apt/sources.list:87

Is there an automated way to fix this?

I've run at least 100 16.04 VMs (of daily-build tests, Betas and Alphas) and I've had this issue in all of them... — Paranoid Panda, Apr 22 '16 at 22:28
Possible duplicate of how to fix error W: Target Packages (main/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times in /etc/apt/sources.list:2 and /etc/apt/sources.list:5 — muru, Apr 22 '16 at 22:29
Same problem here, ubuntu 16.04 Desktop I had changed repositories to Main Server, after problems arose with my normal repository channel. I usually use mirror.math.ucdavis.edu/ubuntu, and I changed back to that ucdavis repository, All fixed, is that an "automatic enough" response? good luck — Douglas, Dec 1 '16 at 18:24

David Foerster · Accepted Answer · 2017-06-02 16:41:33Z

Recent, up-to-date solution

I wrote a Python script to automate this task. You can find the most recent version here.

Installation:

sudo apt install python3-apt
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/davidfoerster/apt-remove-duplicate-source-entries/master/apt-remove-duplicate-source-entries.py
chmod +x apt-remove-duplicate-source-entries.py

Usage:

sudo ./apt-remove-duplicate-source-entries.py
Follow the instructions appearing on the screen.

Historical, outdated solution

This is an older, shorter and simpler version more suitable to inline quotation:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
Detects and interactively deactivates duplicate Apt source entries.

Usage: sudo python3 apt-remove-duplicate-source-entries.py
"""

from __future__ import print_function
import aptsources.sourceslist

EMPTY_COMPONENT_LIST = (None,)

def get_duplicates(sourceslist):
    """
    Detects and returns duplicate Apt source entries.
    """

    sentry_map = dict()
    duplicates = list()
    for se in sourceslist.list:
        if not se.invalid and not se.disabled:
            for c in (se.comps or EMPTY_COMPONENT_LIST):
                key = (se.type, se.uri, se.dist, c)
                previous_se = sentry_map.setdefault(key, se)
                if previous_se is not se:
                    duplicates.append((se, previous_se))
                    break

    return duplicates


if __name__ == '__main__':
    try:
        input = raw_input
    except NameError:
        pass

    sourceslist = aptsources.sourceslist.SourcesList(False)
    duplicates = get_duplicates(sourceslist)

    if duplicates:
        for dupe, orig in duplicates:
            print(
                'Overlapping source entries:\n'
                '  1. {0}: {1}\n'
                '  2. {2}: {3}\n'
                'I disabled the latter entry.'.format(
                    orig.file, orig, dupe.file, dupe),
                end='\n\n')
            dupe.disabled = True

        print('\n{0} source entries were disabled:'.format(len(duplicates)),
            *[dupe for dupe, orig in duplicates], sep='\n  ', end='\n\n')
        if input('Do you want to save these changes? (y/N) ').upper() == 'Y':
            sourceslist.save()

    else:
        print('No duplicated entries were found.')

It takes no parameter and works on all /etc/apt/sources.list* with the help of the python3-apt package. Lines don't have to be exact duplicates (even after normalization) but its enough if type, URI, suite and at least one component overlap.

I'm not sure the equality test is correct in all corner cases (e. g. various “option” strings). Please leave your comments and forks on GitHub.

I just want to mention that since this appears (wisely or not) to be the canonical post for "target package is configured multiple times..." and other questions about the same error that don't ask for automation are closed against it, I don't think it is necessary to downvote answers that offer the simpler non-automated solutions to the problem. — Zanna, Jun 29 '17 at 6:53

Tim · Answer 2 · 2017-11-24 18:42:27Z

up vote 25 down vote

For me (16.04 LTS) going to

System settings >> Software and Updates >> Other Software and removing each duplicate entry from the list worked fine.

edited Nov 24 '17 at 18:42

Tim

17.5k1078126

answered Nov 6 '16 at 10:50

learner

272311

4

I was requesting an automated method. – Tim Nov 6 '16 at 10:58

3

this is a better solution than read foreign python3 script before executing it... worked perfectly – Max Aug 28 '17 at 12:06

This is a good answer! Worked perfectly for me too – haksayng Nov 6 '17 at 17:02

add a comment |

Tim · Answer 3 · 2017-11-24 18:42:50Z

up vote 16 down vote

Reset your repositories like this

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo software-properties-gtk
Pick your options
Save

(P.S. I had the same problem today after updating Ubuntu 15.10 to Ubuntu 16.04.)

edited Nov 24 '17 at 18:42

Tim

17.5k1078126

answered Jun 4 '16 at 2:51

Andrew

78537

3

This misses the request for a (mostly) automated way entirely. See OP's last comment on his question. -1 – David Foerster Aug 21 '16 at 21:25

1

I retracted my close vote since this question now appears to be a canonical question for duplicate Apt sources entries even without a specific request for automation. – David Foerster Jun 29 '17 at 8:51

add a comment |

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How can I automatically fix W: Target Packages … is configured multiple times?

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Recent, up-to-date solution

Historical, outdated solution

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How can I automatically fix W: Target Packages … is configured multiple times?

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