[tex-live] tlmgr cannot install packages

[Erwan Le Pennec]

    Hello,

George N. White III wrote:
> On Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 1:23 AM, Spyros Koutsoumpos
> <spyros.koutsoumpos at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> I installed the minimal edition of TeXLive 2008 from the net in Ubuntu 8.10.
>> In order to complete the installation, I edited (gedit ~/.profile) and
>> sourced (source ~/.profile) the .profile file by appending the lines
>>     
>
> Did run the installer as "root" or as an ordinary user?
> Do you have Unbuntu's TeX distribution installed?
>
>   
>> PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/texlive/2008/bin/i386-linux
>> export PATH
>>     
>
>
>
>   
>> I also appended the lines
>>
>> export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/texlive/2008/bin/i386-linux/
>> export TEXMFCNF=/usr/local/texlive/2008/texmf/web2c/
>>
>> in the .bashrc file and sourced.
>>
>> Then, latex -v gives the expected info.
>>
>> I then tried to install new packages with tlmgr, after I had had installed a
>> python package and updated tlmgr itself. The command
>>
>> tlmgr install mathdesign
>>
>> will connect to the installation location, install:mathdesign and then quit
>> because it "can't mkdir '/usr/local/texlive/2008/temp/' permission denied".
>>
>> sudo tlmgr install mathdesign, or sudo -H install mathdesign,
>>
>> will prompt for password only to inform that tlmgr:command not found.
>>
>> The package manager of MikTeX in Windows Vista similarly requires elevation
>> (administrative privileges) to start. If the same is required by tlmgr, why
>> is it not recognized by sudo? Why would tlmgr want to download the package
>> at a created temp directory where it has no access (me either?).
>> I hope you could hint at a solution on this problem, as I only installed
>> Ubuntu two days ago and my experience with it is still limited.
>> Many thanks in advance,
>> S.
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>   

   Did you try to lauch the command as root
su -
tlmgr install mathdesign

       I had a similar issue with sudo. tlmgr halts with a messsage 
starting with "Can't locate TeXLive/TLPOBJ.pm in @INC" whereas it works 
perfectly as root. My guess is that there is a path issue...

   Yours,

             Erwan