MacPorts: install hangs/remains unusable

Question

I've been trying to install MacPorts on a new Mac Pro with a fresh, fully updated Yosemite OS. The installer hangs on 'Running package scripts'. So I tried to build it from source. That works, with the installer stating:

Congratulations, you have successfully installed the MacPorts system.

However, it seems unusable. When I do sudo port install apache2 I get the message:

Error: Port apache2 not found

Simply trying to do a 'self update' (as root):

sh-3.2# port -d selfupdate
DEBUG: MacPorts sources location: /opt/local/var/macports/sources/rsync.macports.org/release/tarballs
--->  Updating MacPorts base sources using rsync
receiving file list ... done
base.tar

...and then nothing... I've waited for half an hour, but it won't go any further. I can't find any logs either.

Again: there's nothing special about my setup, it's out-of-the-box Yosemite, only updated through the App store and, of course, I've installed Xcode with command line utilities and formally accepted the license, as is required according to the MacPorts site.

I've also tried uninstalling it, using the instructions from the MacPorts site, and reinstalling. But it does not make a difference.

I've read quite a few forum posts, but I can't find any post relating a problem like this. I hope someone can shed some light on this.

Answer 1

The installer hangs running package scripts because the last statement in these package scripts is exactly this "sudo port selfupdate" that you've been running manually afterwards.

Because this step did never run, your MacPorts installation lacks knowledge about the apache2 port (which is exactly why the installer runs selfupdate to give you a full-featured installation).

Unfortunately Apple's infrastructure (rsync.macports.org) seems to have connectivity problems at the moment, which is causing problems for quite a few people. You can try using one of the mirrors as outlined at https://trac.macports.org/wiki/Mirrors.