Apt-get update error "Unable to locate package apt-transport-https"

Help and Support Apple TV
1

Hi all,

A couple of issues:

First one is that the App Store does not open but clicks when I press it. It does not open.

I read somewhere that the App Store on the Apple TV variant no longer works and I have to use apt-get to download packages. The one I was after was Samba.

So, to the second of the issues and that is to install Samba via the apt-get command.

Tried the command “apt-get update” on my Apple TV OSMC and got the error:

“Is the package apt-transport-https installed?”

Read somewhere on the internet a workaround of the following commands:

cd /usr/lib/apt/methods
sudo ln -s http https
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https

The first 3 commands work but the sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https returns the error:

“Unable to locate package apt-transport-https”

My original objective was to run “sudo apt-get install smb-app-osmc” to install Samba but I get the same error:

“Unable to locate package smb-app-osmc”

Where I got those 4 commands stated that by finally “installing the apt-transport-https package overwrites the temporary fix we started with, so no need to worry about undoing it.”

Question 1: Should I reverse the command “sudo ln -s http https” so that it is back to what it was before and what command do I do that with? (I am not Linux proficient)

Question 2: Why can’t it find the apt-transport-https with sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https or smb-app-osmc with sudo apt-get install smb-app-osmc?

Regards,

fbagnato

2

Sounds like you are on a very old and unsupported version of OSMC

4

@sam_nazarko

Hello sam_nazarko,

Thanks for your reply.

I installed 2017.08-1 via the Windows XP SP2+ osmc-installer which downloaded the installation and installed it on the USB Stick. This was the latest version for Apple TV.

Does the App Store not open on that version?

Is it normal on that version that I cannot download apt-transport-https and smb-app-osmc via the apt-get command?

Regards,

fbagnato

5

This version is too old. Updates and apt-get aren’t supported anymore.

6

@sam_nazarko,

Hello sam_nazarko,

Thanks for your reply.

Is there a way I can manually download and install apt-transport-https and smb-app-osmc ?

Regards,

fbagnato

7

Unfortunately not. Support for Apple TV has been discontinued for some time.

8

@sam_nazarko

Hello sam_nazarko,

Thanks for your reply.

OK, so I cannot use Samba, that’s fine.

I see the alternative is UPnP.

I have turned UPnP on in OSMC settings and can access the OSMC box in Windows.

However going the other way (accessing my Laptop from the OSMC box) I am having trouble.

I am trying to add videos from a shared drive on my computer to OSMC.

If I select Videos and Add Videos I select the only option available which is Browse, but I cannot Browse even though it says “Enter the paths or browse for the media locations”

I then try to add my shared drive which is the address file://FBLAPTOP2/Movies%20%26%20Other%20Video but it says the resource is not available.

I also tried to add my shared drive by selecting the IP Address which is 192.168.1.223 but I get the same message.

Why can’t I browse to locate my computer or how am I specifying the address incorrectly?

Regards,

fbagnato

9

UPNP shares would be prefixed with upnp://

https://kodi.wiki/view/UPnP

10

In the list that comes up after browse use the “add network location” option and enter just the machine name and smb. You don’t need samba installed to access a smb share from within Kodi. One you click OK for that network location it should then be available in the “browse” list and able to be navigated.

11

Hello sam_nazarko,

I tried adding the source upnp://192.168.1.223 and it causes osmc to reboot.

Also, I can’t see any way that I can edit or delete a source once it is entered.

I’ve tried going through Settings, Media, Library and in Manage Sources, Video.

This is the screen I get and there is no way to edit or delete the sources.

IMG_20230807_151533
IMG_20230807_1515331920×1446 227 KB

Should I try and install the 2017.02-2 version instead of the 2017.08-1 ?

Regards,

fbagnato

12

Hello darwindesign,

Thanks for your reply.

There is no list that comes up after selecting Browse (which is the only option I can choose on the previous menu).

All I get when I select Browse is the virtual keyboard as per the attached photo of the screen:

Regards,

fbagnato

IMG_20230807_151633
IMG_20230807_1516331920×1446 178 KB

13

It is rather difficult to remember when certain features got added to Kodi after so many years. You will probably need to manually enter your source using a path like…

smb://FBLAPTOP2/Movies & Other Video/

You shouldn’t need to use escape characters. If that doesn’t work you might try using the ip address instead of the machine name. If that version of Kodi has the SMB version that you can set in settings>services you can try forcing that to version one which may allow you to actually browse.

Just out of curiosity, what is the reason for wanting to run such an ancient media player? I started running XBMC on an original Xbox but once better hardware came around I don’t remember ever feeling compelled to revisit the older slower experience.

14

Hi sam_nazarko and darwindesign,

Well I finally worked out why I couldn’t browse.

It was the OSMC skin. When I changed the skin to Estuary then all my options were available, including Browse.

I am having trouble however accessing my shared “Movies & Other Video” and “Audio” folders.

These are on a RAID USB Enclosure attached to my laptop (FBLAPTOP2).

These do not appear when I browse the UPnP servers.

I get Music, Pictures, Playlists and Videos, but the shared folders do not show up.

I am assuming that to access the shared folders I would have to use Samba?

@darwindesign

I tried entering smb://FBLAPTOP2/Movies & Other Video/ as a source but get a timeout. I think that OSMC does not have Samba installed by default and had to be installed from the OSMC app store (which no longer works on this older version of OSMC for the Apple TV).

Strange thing is I found some Samba configuration files in the OSMC installation that I looked at from reading other threads so I don’t know if Samba is actually there and just needs to be configured. A bit confused about this.

@sam_nazarko can you confirm this?

@darwindesign

Just out of curiosity, what is the reason for wanting to run such an ancient media player?

This was bought with some other Apple hardware so I was hoping to make it usable for something other than throwing it away in landfill.

Airplay is tested and working fine. I was hoping to get access to my Media Files on the RAID USB Enclosure but as this discussion shows am having problems.

Once I could get my media files accessible on the box I was going to install some Addons and the box would be finished.

Regards,

fbagnato

15

@sam_nazarko

Hi Sam,

I found this site Index of /osmc/osmc/apt/pool/main/s/smb-app-osmc/ which contains smb-app-osmc.

I tried to install it but it needs samba as a dependency.

There are 2 versions there and I don’t know if they are too new for the Apple TV.

I then found the site Debian -- Package Search Results -- samba but I don’t know what version to download.

Is it Debian and if so what version of Debian? Is the Apple TV OSMC 32 Bit or 64 Bit?

Regards,

fbagnato

16

Check /etc/apt/sources.list will tell you which version you are looking for.

32 Bit

17

Hello fzinken,

Thanks for your reply.

Your answer worked perfectly!

It is Debian Jessie.

So I have found Index of /debian/dists which has a jessie folder in it, but I cannot find the packages. I was initially after Samba but may need more if there are dependencies that Samba needs that aren’t installed in OSMC.

Any idea where in that folder I can find the packages, such as Samba?

Regards,

fbagnato

18

It sounds like you may not be too familiar with how UPnP works. It is not a traditional file sharing protocol where you access the contents of folders that are shared. Instead, a UPnP server builds a library of media and facilitates the sharing of what is in this library. If your using Kodi running on your Windows box as the UPnP server then this means the only files that are shared are what has been scrapped into the video and audio libraries.

SMB would typically be what someone would use for files shared from Windows. Just to be clear though, Installing samba would allow you to have SMB access to shares on the Apple TV at the operating system level. Kodi has its own built in SMB networking that does not need samba to be installed.

Are you sure that Windows is actually configured such that this network path exists and is being shared with guest access? Did you try using just smb://FBLAPTOP2/ or smb://192.168.1.223?

Although the general sentiment of reuse and recycle is noble, I think that is somewhat offset by it’s increased energy use over what a modern device would use if your plan is to use it for anything other than a novelty piece.

19

Hello darwindesign,

It sounds like you may not be too familiar with how UPnP works.

No I am not experienced with UPnP. Nor with Linux.

But you have confirmed that I do not see the shared folders on my RAID USB Enclosure.

SMB would typically be what someone would use for files shared from Windows. Just to be clear though, Installing samba would allow you to have SMB access to shares on the Apple TV at the operating system level. Kodi has its own built in SMB networking that does not need samba to be installed.

But I am getting an error when selecting SMB in the browse window, however I have managed to install smb-app-osmc and the Samba dependencies and unfortunately I cannot see my laptop or its shared folders.

Are you sure that Windows is actually configured such that this network path exists and is being shared with guest access? Did you try using just smb://FBLAPTOP2/ or smb://192.168.1.223?

Yes, tried both. See my above statement about Samba now installed.

So, I have successfully installed Samba and now I do not get an error when selecting it in Browse however it brings me to a screen with nothing in it.

I don’t know whether I need to do more configuration.

Although the general sentiment of reuse and recycle is noble, I think that is somewhat offset by it’s increased energy use over what a modern device would use if your plan is to use it for anything other than a novelty piece.

I tend to disagree. This will be a useful box if I can get SMB working. I can install any desired addons to complete it and I have confirmed that Airplay and casting to the box works. What more do I need as a Media Center?

Regards,

fbagnato

20

@sam_nazarko

Hi Sam,

Ignore my previous posts as I managed to get smb-app-osmc and the Samba dependencies installed from Debian Jessie repositories.

However, when I browse SMB I get a blank screen and I don’t know whether the version of smb-app-osmc that I found is too new for the Apple TV box OSMC installation of 2017.08-1.

The versions on that website were 1.2.6 and 1.2.7.

Are the versions too new for my Apple TV box OSMC installation of 2017.08-1?

Why can’t I see any shared folders when I browse to the SMB option?

Do I need to modify the configuration files for Samba?

Regards,

fbagnato

21

Kodi does not use samba. Samba would add the ability to access files on the Apple TV from Windows but that isn’t what your trying to do. I have some doubts that your file share in Windows is configured for guest access.

As this device is stuck forever on a very old version of Kodi I think you will find that the vast majority of add-on’s that connect to internet locations no longer work. Audio only Airplay works but casting video via Airplay doesn’t work with any version of Kodi from any modern iOS device. If your talking about UPnP casting then sure, but your limited still to codecs this device can play being stuck in time and your needing an extra device just to play something. That device can’t even output full HD can it?

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