greenbone sync compile fails at least on debian 12 minimal installation

[EeroV]

ARNING: Running pip as the 'root' user can result in broken permissions and conflicting behaviour with the system package manager. It is recommended to use a virtual environment instead: https://pip.pypa.io/warnings/venv
2025-07-31 13:12:56 [INFO] Command 'python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully.
2025-07-31 13:12:56 [INFO] Executing command: cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/* /
cp: cannot stat '/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/': No such file or directory
2025-07-31 13:12:56 [ERROR] Command 'cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/ /' failed with status 1.

[kasba]

Dear Kastervo team,
First, thank you for this very good script and all the excellent work you do.
I have reproduced the above error : you get it when you run the script again on an already installed VAS system. I did it thinking to update my VAS installation.

Now the question is : how to update a VAS installation installed with the openvas-install.sh script ?

I don’t have rights to put a label on this thread, but it should be «enhancement».
Have a nice day.

[EeroV]

@kasba It appears that this solution was not intended to support in-place updates. Instead, the recommended approach seems to be a full reinstallation of the entire instance or server, followed by re-execution of the deployment script

[kasba]

Of course @EeroV, but that means loosing everything and a long feed sync time again.

[EeroV]

@kasba “So does this even matter? The reports can be exported, and the instance can be handled with an automation tool, right?

[kasba]

The export, I see. The automation on a single raspy, a challenge to me !
Thank you @EeroV

[Athoas]

Same issue in Debian 13: (Apparently the greenbone-feed-sync package was installed correctly.)

sti@canis:~$ pip show greenbone-feed-sync
Name: greenbone-feed-sync
Version: 25.2.0
Summary: A tool for downloading the Greenbone Community Feed
Home-page:
Author: Björn Ricks
Author-email: bjoern.ricks@greenbone.net
License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Location: /usr/local/lib/python3.13/dist-packages
Requires: rich, shtab
Required-by:

[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Completed installation of openvasd-23.38.0.
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Starting installation of greenbone-feed-sync...
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Installing greenbone-feed-sync via pip...
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Command 'mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully.
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Command 'python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully.
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Executing command: cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/* /
[1;31m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [ERROR] Command 'cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/ /' failed with status 1.*
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Cleaning up temporary directories...
[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:21 [INFO] Cleanup completed

[EeroV]

hi, debian 13 is not currently supported due to upstream packages.

…

On Thu 22. Jan 2026 at 21.57, Athoas ***@***.***> wrote: *Athoas* left a comment (Kastervo/OpenVAS-Installation#14) <#14 (comment)> Same issue in Debian 13: (Apparently the greenbone-feed-sync package was installed correctly.) ***@***.***:~$ pip show greenbone-feed-sync Name: greenbone-feed-sync Version: 25.2.0 Summary: A tool for downloading the Greenbone Community Feed Home-page: Author: Björn Ricks Author-email: ***@***.*** License: GPL-3.0-or-later Location: /usr/local/lib/python3.13/dist-packages Requires: rich, shtab Required-by: [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Completed installation of openvasd-23.38.0. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Starting installation of greenbone-feed-sync... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Installing greenbone-feed-sync via pip... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Command 'mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Command 'python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Executing command: cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/* / [1;31m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [ERROR] *Command 'cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/ /' failed with status 1.** [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Cleaning up temporary directories... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:21 [INFO] Cleanup completed — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#14 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AC23RN46PG5EK4VG5AYWROD4IETSFAVCNFSM6AAAAACCZP5O6GVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTOOBWGQYDINBXG4> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[wingdog-spb]

Hi.
Debian 12.13 has the same issue

2026-01-27 14:34:45 [INFO] Executing command: cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/* /
cp: cannot stat '/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/': No such file or directory
2026-01-27 14:34:45 [ERROR] Command 'cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/ /' failed with status 1.
2026-01-27 14:34:45 [INFO] Cleaning up temporary directories...
2026-01-27 14:34:45 [INFO] Cleanup completed.

[corch]

I ran into this issue on a fresh Debian 12 VM also... but after I'd already run the script and had it fail and several times .... pip shows that the greenbone-feed-sync is installed under /usr/local so I suspect one of the previous installation attempts got this far before it failed, now the system is in "partially installed" state and script won't work anymore.

I tried to work around this with "pip uninstall greenbone-feed-sync --break-system-packages", then running the installer again. Unfortunately, while it got past installing the greenbone-feed-sync this time, it failed immediately after with the same problem for gvm-tools. Ostensibly, I guess this means you could try manually uninstalling all the python packages which the script installs, but that would be amazingly tedious.

I think there's a higher order problem here around the reliance on pip to install python packages when it clearly conflicts with PEP 668. Ideally, the script should install all python dependencies using apt. If there's dependencies which aren't supported by official packages, maybe the script needs to install everything into venv specifically for openvas stuff...

Separately, I think the "[INFO] Cleanup completed" is a little misleading, clearly if the installer fails, it isn't cleaning up everything it already successfully installed. It would be nice if it returned the system to pre-execution state before exiting, or at making it clear that the installation has irreparably failed and you basically need to trash your whole VM and start again.

[0ryn]

Same issue in Debian 13: (Apparently the greenbone-feed-sync package was installed correctly.)

sti@canis:~$ pip show greenbone-feed-sync Name: greenbone-feed-sync Version: 25.2.0 Summary: A tool for downloading the Greenbone Community Feed Home-page: Author: Björn Ricks Author-email: bjoern.ricks@greenbone.net License: GPL-3.0-or-later Location: /usr/local/lib/python3.13/dist-packages Requires: rich, shtab Required-by:

[1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Completed installation of openvasd-23.38.0. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Starting installation of greenbone-feed-sync... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Installing greenbone-feed-sync via pip... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Command 'mkdir -p /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:19 [INFO] Executing command: python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Command 'python3 -m pip install --root=/root/install/greenbone-feed-sync --no-warn-script-location greenbone-feed-sync' completed successfully. [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Executing command: cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/* / [1;31m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [ERROR] _Command 'cp -rv /root/install/greenbone-feed-sync/ /' failed with status 1._* [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:20 [INFO] Cleaning up temporary directories... [1;36m2026-01-22 16:37:21 [INFO] Cleanup completed

The following patch will fix this error:

@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@
                log ERROR "Failed to create install directory for $comp_name."
                exit 1
        fi
-       if ! run_command python3 -m pip install --root="$INSTALL_DIR/$comp_name" --no-warn-script-location .; then
+       if ! run_command python3 -m pip install --force-reinstall --ignore-installed --root-user-action=ignore --root="$INSTALL_DIR/$comp_name" --no-warn-script-location .; then
                log ERROR "Failed to install $comp_name-$comp_ver via pip."
                exit 1
        fi
@@ -725,7 +725,7 @@
                log ERROR "Failed to create install directory for $comp_name."
                exit 1
        fi
-       if ! run_command python3 -m pip install --root="$INSTALL_DIR/$comp_name" --no-warn-script-location "$comp_name"; then
+       if ! run_command python3 -m pip install --ignore-installed --force-reinstall --root-user-action=ignore --root="$INSTALL_DIR/$comp_name" --no-warn-script-location "$comp_name"; then
                log ERROR "Failed to install $comp_name via pip."
                exit 1
        fi