[gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Mark Knecht]

Just ran into this on a machine that I updated a couple of days ago.
Tried to sync this morning and the machine is in pain:

c2stable ~ # !lay
layman -S
* Running command "/usr/bin/svn up "/var/lib/layman/pro-audio""...
At revision 1766.
* Running command "/usr/bin/svn up "/var/lib/layman/pentoo""...
D    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/app-crypt/pyrit/files
D    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/app-crypt/pyrit/pyrit-0.3.ebuild
U    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/app-crypt/pyrit/Manifest
U    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/nikto/Manifest
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/nikto/nikto-2.1.3-r1.ebuild
D    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/w3af/files/digest-w3af-0_beta5
D    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/w3af/files/digest-w3af-9999
U    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/w3af/Manifest
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/net-analyzer/w3af/w3af-1.0_rc3-r1.ebuild
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/dev-db/sqlsus
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/dev-db/sqlsus/files
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/dev-db/sqlsus/files/sqlsus.conf
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/dev-db/sqlsus/sqlsus-0.5_rc1.ebuild
A    /var/lib/layman/pentoo/dev-db/sqlsus/Manifest
Updated to revision 1866.
*
* Success:
* ------
*
* Successfully synchronized overlay "pro-audio".
* Successfully synchronized overlay "pentoo".
c2stable ~ # eix-sync
 * Running emerge --sync
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
    retval = emerge_main()
  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
 * emerge --sync failed
 * Time statistics:
     4 seconds for syncing
     4 seconds total
c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
    retval = emerge_main()
  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
emerge_main
    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
action_sync
    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
c2stable ~ # eselect python list
Available Python interpreters:
  [1]   python2.6 *
  [2]   python3.1
c2stable ~ #

Hard to fix inside emerge if I cannot sync at all!

Ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
> c2stable ~ # eix-sync
>  * Running emerge --sync
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>    retval = emerge_main()
>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>  * emerge --sync failed
>  * Time statistics:
>     4 seconds for syncing
>     4 seconds total
> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>    retval = emerge_main()
>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
> emerge_main
>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
> action_sync
>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
> c2stable ~ # eselect python list
> Available Python interpreters:
>  [1]   python2.6 *
>  [2]   python3.1
> c2stable ~ #
>

At first sight it seems to me that someone made a typo in there..  ip
should be ips[0]
Which specific version of portage and python are you using?

--
    Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> c2stable ~ # eix-sync
>>  * Running emerge --sync
>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>  * emerge --sync failed
>>  * Time statistics:
>>     4 seconds for syncing
>>     4 seconds total
>> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
>> emerge_main
>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
>> action_sync
>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>> c2stable ~ # eselect python list
>> Available Python interpreters:
>>  [1]   python2.6 *
>>  [2]   python3.1
>> c2stable ~ #
>>
>
> At first sight it seems to me that someone made a typo in there..  ip
> should be ips[0]
> Which specific version of portage and python are you using?
>
> --
>    Fatih
>

I just checked the code to verify myself. I was wrong,  ip is the loop
variable of ips list I recalled which is being iterated over.

Rsync server maybe down or smth, Did you try with a differnt rsync server?

Btw, AFAIR eix-sync can sync overlays, why you sync them individually?

--
    Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Mark Knecht]

2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> c2stable ~ # eix-sync
>>  * Running emerge --sync
>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>  * emerge --sync failed
>>  * Time statistics:
>>     4 seconds for syncing
>>     4 seconds total
>> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
>> emerge_main
>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
>> action_sync
>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>> c2stable ~ # eselect python list
>> Available Python interpreters:
>>  [1]   python2.6 *
>>  [2]   python3.1
>> c2stable ~ #
>>
>
> At first sight it seems to me that someone made a typo in there..  ip
> should be ips[0]
> Which specific version of portage and python are you using?
>
> --
>    Fatih

Hi Fatih,

It seems that the failure (so far) is only with syncing and not with
using the tools to look at the system. That's good.

c2stable ~ # eix -Ic python
[I] app-admin/eselect-python (20100321@05/26/10): Eselect module for
management of multiple Python versions
[I] app-admin/python-updater (0.8@05/18/10): Script used to remerge
python packages when changing Python version.
[I] dev-lang/python (2.6.5-r3(2.6)[1]@10/12/10
3.1.2-r4(3.1)@09/30/10): Python is an interpreted, interactive,
object-oriented programming language.
<SNIP>

Note that it seems the 2.6.5-r3 version is coming from the Pentoo
overlay if it makes a difference.

c2stable ~ # eix -Ic portage
[I] app-portage/portage-utils (0.3.1@06/11/10): small and fast portage
helper tools written in C
[I] sys-apps/portage (2.2_rc95@10/13/10): Portage is the package
management and distribution system for Gentoo
Found 2 matches.
c2stable ~ #

As for syncing individually it's just an old-dog, new-trick thing.
I've done it this way for years and somehow never got in the swing of
doing anything else.

Thanks for looking at the code. That's beyond my scope of expertise.

- Mark

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
> 2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
>> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> c2stable ~ # eix-sync
>>>  * Running emerge --sync
>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
>>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
>>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>>  * emerge --sync failed
>>>  * Time statistics:
>>>     4 seconds for syncing
>>>     4 seconds total
>>> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
>>> emerge_main
>>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
>>> action_sync
>>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>> c2stable ~ # eselect python list
>>> Available Python interpreters:
>>>  [1]   python2.6 *
>>>  [2]   python3.1
>>> c2stable ~ #
>>>
>>
>> At first sight it seems to me that someone made a typo in there..  ip
>> should be ips[0]
>> Which specific version of portage and python are you using?
>>
>> --
>>    Fatih
>
> Hi Fatih,
>
> It seems that the failure (so far) is only with syncing and not with
> using the tools to look at the system. That's good.
>
> c2stable ~ # eix -Ic python
> [I] app-admin/eselect-python (20100321@05/26/10): Eselect module for
> management of multiple Python versions
> [I] app-admin/python-updater (0.8@05/18/10): Script used to remerge
> python packages when changing Python version.
> [I] dev-lang/python (2.6.5-r3(2.6)[1]@10/12/10
> 3.1.2-r4(3.1)@09/30/10): Python is an interpreted, interactive,
> object-oriented programming language.
> <SNIP>
>
> Note that it seems the 2.6.5-r3 version is coming from the Pentoo
> overlay if it makes a difference.
>
> c2stable ~ # eix -Ic portage
> [I] app-portage/portage-utils (0.3.1@06/11/10): small and fast portage
> helper tools written in C
> [I] sys-apps/portage (2.2_rc95@10/13/10): Portage is the package
> management and distribution system for Gentoo
> Found 2 matches.
> c2stable ~ #
>
> As for syncing individually it's just an old-dog, new-trick thing.
> I've done it this way for years and somehow never got in the swing of
> doing anything else.
>
> Thanks for looking at the code. That's beyond my scope of expertise.
>
> - Mark
>
>

Got it, you hit the bug 340899 and its already fixed, just apply the patch
http://git.overlays.gentoo.org/gitweb/?p=proj/portage.git;a=commit;h=c54c1af789b306a85e9d7e79fb54f02a05346616

--
    Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Mark Knecht]

2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
>>> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> c2stable ~ # eix-sync
>>>>  * Running emerge --sync
>>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in emerge_main
>>>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in action_sync
>>>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>>>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>>>  * emerge --sync failed
>>>>  * Time statistics:
>>>>     4 seconds for syncing
>>>>     4 seconds total
>>>> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
>>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>>  File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>>>>    retval = emerge_main()
>>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
>>>> emerge_main
>>>>    return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts, myaction)
>>>>  File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
>>>> action_sync
>>>>    "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>>>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>>> c2stable ~ # eselect python list
>>>> Available Python interpreters:
>>>>  [1]   python2.6 *
>>>>  [2]   python3.1
>>>> c2stable ~ #
>>>>
>>>
>>> At first sight it seems to me that someone made a typo in there..  ip
>>> should be ips[0]
>>> Which specific version of portage and python are you using?
>>>
>>> --
>>>    Fatih
>>
>> Hi Fatih,
>>
>> It seems that the failure (so far) is only with syncing and not with
>> using the tools to look at the system. That's good.
>>
>> c2stable ~ # eix -Ic python
>> [I] app-admin/eselect-python (20100321@05/26/10): Eselect module for
>> management of multiple Python versions
>> [I] app-admin/python-updater (0.8@05/18/10): Script used to remerge
>> python packages when changing Python version.
>> [I] dev-lang/python (2.6.5-r3(2.6)[1]@10/12/10
>> 3.1.2-r4(3.1)@09/30/10): Python is an interpreted, interactive,
>> object-oriented programming language.
>> <SNIP>
>>
>> Note that it seems the 2.6.5-r3 version is coming from the Pentoo
>> overlay if it makes a difference.
>>
>> c2stable ~ # eix -Ic portage
>> [I] app-portage/portage-utils (0.3.1@06/11/10): small and fast portage
>> helper tools written in C
>> [I] sys-apps/portage (2.2_rc95@10/13/10): Portage is the package
>> management and distribution system for Gentoo
>> Found 2 matches.
>> c2stable ~ #
>>
>> As for syncing individually it's just an old-dog, new-trick thing.
>> I've done it this way for years and somehow never got in the swing of
>> doing anything else.
>>
>> Thanks for looking at the code. That's beyond my scope of expertise.
>>
>> - Mark
>>
>>
>
> Got it, you hit the bug 340899 and its already fixed, just apply the patch
> http://git.overlays.gentoo.org/gitweb/?p=proj/portage.git;a=commit;h=c54c1af789b306a85e9d7e79fb54f02a05346616
>
> --
>    Fatih
>
>

Thanks - I got the patch and that seems to have fixed eix-sync.

Should anyone else run into this I did the following:

Right click and save the patch file on the link provided by Fatih

cd /usr/lib64/portage
patch -p1 --dry-run <Patch_Name
patch -p1 <Patch_Name

and then things started working again.

Note that when I finished the sync and emerged the newer version of
portage I got messages I had not seen before about colliding with a
couple of files. Those collisions were the files modified by the
patch.

Many thanks Fatih!

Cheers,
Mark

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 8:29 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Got it, you hit the bug 340899 and its already fixed, just apply the patch
>> http://git.overlays.gentoo.org/gitweb/?p=proj/portage.git;a=commit;h=c54c1af789b306a85e9d7e79fb54f02a05346616
>>
>> --
>>    Fatih
>>
>>
>
> Thanks - I got the patch and that seems to have fixed eix-sync.
>
> Should anyone else run into this I did the following:
>
> Right click and save the patch file on the link provided by Fatih
>
> cd /usr/lib64/portage
> patch -p1 --dry-run <Patch_Name
> patch -p1 <Patch_Name
>
> and then things started working again.
>
> Note that when I finished the sync and emerged the newer version of
> portage I got messages I had not seen before about colliding with a
> couple of files. Those collisions were the files modified by the
> patch.
>
> Many thanks Fatih!
>
> Cheers,
> Mark
>

Yw. Thanks for posting step-by-step solution for others' future reference.

--
   Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Mark Knecht]

2010/10/15 Fatih Tümen <fthtmn+gentoo@gmail.com>:
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 8:29 PM, Mark Knecht <markknecht@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Got it, you hit the bug 340899 and its already fixed, just apply the patch
>>> http://git.overlays.gentoo.org/gitweb/?p=proj/portage.git;a=commit;h=c54c1af789b306a85e9d7e79fb54f02a05346616
>>>
>>> --
>>>    Fatih
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Thanks - I got the patch and that seems to have fixed eix-sync.
>>
>> Should anyone else run into this I did the following:
>>
>> Right click and save the patch file on the link provided by Fatih
>>
>> cd /usr/lib64/portage
>> patch -p1 --dry-run <Patch_Name
>> patch -p1 <Patch_Name
>>
>> and then things started working again.
>>
>> Note that when I finished the sync and emerged the newer version of
>> portage I got messages I had not seen before about colliding with a
>> couple of files. Those collisions were the files modified by the
>> patch.
>>
>> Many thanks Fatih!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Mark
>>
>
> Yw. Thanks for posting step-by-step solution for others' future reference.
>

And also for you or others to double check in case I wasn't doing it
correctly. I wasn't sure where the portage executable was actually
kept so I wasn't sure if I was patching the right thing. It was
however the only place on my machine with the apparently correct patch
that matched the first few lines in the patch file.

Again, thanks!

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Albert Hopkins]

On Fri, 2010-10-15 at 07:35 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
>   File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
> action_sync
>     "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects 

This is a bug... shuld be more something like:

                uris.append(syncuri.replace(
                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, hostname, port),
                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, ip, port), 1))

Probably needs to be reported.

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 7:27 PM, Albert Hopkins <marduk@letterboxes.org> wrote:
> On Fri, 2010-10-15 at 07:35 -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
>>   File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line 2134, in
>> action_sync
>>     "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
>> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>
> This is a bug... shuld be more something like:
>
>                uris.append(syncuri.replace(
>                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, hostname, port),
>                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, ip, port), 1))
>
> Probably needs to be reported.
>
>
>
>

Coding against PEP8 is not a bug. I guess devs find string
concatenation more handy and maintainable.

The bug was about the addrinfos data gotten from the server. I thought
the response of possibly down rsync server was not handled well, which
is why I offered to change rsync server, but the actual problem was
caused by assuming that IPv6 is supported on the machine.

--
    Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Albert Hopkins]

On Fri, 2010-10-15 at 19:55 +0300, Fatih Tümen wrote:
> > This is a bug... shuld be more something like:
> >
> >                uris.append(syncuri.replace(
> >                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, hostname, port),
> >                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, ip, port), 1))
> >
> > Probably needs to be reported.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> Coding against PEP8 is not a bug. 

I was referring to the adding a string to an integer.

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Fatih Tümen]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 9:19 PM, Albert Hopkins <marduk@letterboxes.org> wrote:
> On Fri, 2010-10-15 at 19:55 +0300, Fatih Tümen wrote:
>> > This is a bug... shuld be more something like:
>> >
>> >                uris.append(syncuri.replace(
>> >                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, hostname, port),
>> >                    "//%s%s%s/" % (user_name, ip, port), 1))
>> >
>> > Probably needs to be reported.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> Coding against PEP8 is not a bug.
>
> I was referring to the adding a string to an integer.
>
>
>

1 was the count argument of replace, the third one (not second) and
variables added together (concatenation) supposed to be string there.
I think you got the wrong impression because of the line wrapping;
traceback unfortunately prints the last (wrapped) line of the buggy
statement/expression. That line belongs to the following block:

for ip in ips:
        uris.append(syncuri.replace(
                "//" + user_name + hostname + port + "/",
                "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))

Seeing you changed the formatting style I thought your referring to
suggested string formating in pep. Sorry.

--
    Fatih

Re: [gentoo-user] emerge/python failure

[Peter Ruskin]

On Friday 15 October 2010 15:35:37 Mark Knecht wrote:
> Just ran into this on a machine that I updated a couple of days
> ago. Tried to sync this morning and the machine is in pain:
>

> c2stable ~ # emerge --sync
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "/usr/bin/emerge", line 43, in <module>
>     retval = emerge_main()
>   File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/main.py", line 1604, in
> emerge_main
>     return action_sync(settings, trees, mtimedb, myopts,
> myaction) File "/usr/lib64/portage/pym/_emerge/actions.py", line
> 2134, in action_sync
>     "//" + user_name + ip + port + "/", 1))
> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects

I've seen this the last couple of days too.  I added this 
to /etc/portage/package.mask:

=sys-apps/portage-2.2_rc94
=sys-apps/portage-2.2_rc95

... and emerged _rc93

It then worked perfectly.  Subsequently I updated to _rc95 again and 
emerge --sync worked again. I intend to repeat if it does the same 
tonight.

-- 
Peter
========================================================================
Gentoo Linux: Portage 2.2_rc96			kernel-2.6.35-gentoo-r8
AMD Phenom(tm) 9950 Quad-Core Processor		gcc(Gentoo: 4.4.4-r2)
KDE: 3.5.10					Qt: 3.3.8b
========================================================================