[Tex/LaTex] Problems installing package using MikTeX

miktextexstudio

After re-installation of MikTex (I had troubles of pdflatex.exe not found at startup of TexStudio), I am now trying to reinstall my packages for my documents.

I am promted to install the first package encountered in my TexStudio script (natbib): TexStudio asks for:

It asks to install the package from my selected repository:
http://vesta.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/ftp/pub/mirror/ctan/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/

But when I select to install it (and MikTex installer gets launced), TexStudio gives the error:

So I tried open the MikTex package manager (both the non- and Admin version), searching for natbib, and installing it. However then I get the error:

The remote package repository is outdated. You have to choose another repository.

Now, I have tried several repositories, and I always get prompted with the same error?

I don't know if this could be the cause, but daylight-saving just changed in belgium, which seemed to be a problem last year?

I keep being told the remote package repository is outdated

I also had a similar issue myself earlier:

titlesec.sty not found

Back then, I could solve it by doing a synchronize on the repository. However, again I'm prompted with:

The remote package repository is outdated. You have to choose another repository.

Would appreciate all help.

Best Answer

The problem resolved itself this morning, apparently the last CTAN update failed, quoting developer and maintainer of MiKTeX, Christian Schenk:

"I am afraid that all repositories are currently out-of-date because the last CTAN upload was unsuccessful. The next CTAN upload is scheduled, ETA is 20171031T0600 (UTC)."

https://github.com/MiKTeX/miktex/issues/27#issuecomment-340549770

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Unable to connect to repository in MiKTeX 2.9

Sometimes the miktex maintainer disables the main server with the list of repositories e.g. when a serious bug has appeared to avoid that people download a broken package. Sometimes the main server is simply down.

In both cases the best is to wait and to check if there are messages on the miktex website or the miktex mailing list.

If you badly need a package you can download it from CTAN from the miktex package folder (http://mirrors.ctan.org/systems/win32/miktex/tm/packages/) along with the "package databases" (two miktex-zz-XXX-files). Put everything in some empty folder and use it as local repository.

[Tex/LaTex] MiKTeX installer no longer connects to any server

My personal experience suggests that for a MiKTeX repository "to be online" is not only a question whether that repository is accessible via HTTP or FTP, but also whether it contains valid package data.

Contary to an old comment of @ulrike-fischer written here, every time when I start the MiKTeX Update Wizzard with a fixed repository selected, the wizzard first connects to the MiKTeX Repository Web Service. My assumption is that it verifies whether the repository contains valid package data and is therefore safe to update from.

When executing mpm --list-repositories, the MiKTeX package manager queries the same service for a list of repositories that are currently containing valid package data. Certainly sometimes it marks my preferred repository as offline even when it can still be accessed via HTTP.

The current web service response to mpm --list-repositories is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"
               xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
               xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <soap:Body>
    <GetRepositories4Response xmlns="http://miktex.org/2015/06/repository">
      <GetRepositories4Result />
    </GetRepositories4Response>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Note the empty GetRepositories4Result tag: As far as the repository web service is concerned, all MiKTeX repositories are offline and cannot be used for updating. This has probably something to do with the massive MiKTeX update from May 10, 2016.

I guess it is just a question of time before repositories will get the updated version of MiKTeX and will be flagged as online.

I have always understood that that while a MiKTeX repository can be accessed via FTP or HTTP (and individual packages downloaded to your local repo), it is sometimes centrally marked as "temporarily unusable" e.g. due to an ongoing update of packages -- you certainly do not want to have your users running update from a half-updated repository, I guess.

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