shares-admin can't install services - failed to install package: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.freedesktop.PackageKit was not provided by any .service files

[Norbert]

Steps to reproduce:
1. Have Ubuntu MATE 20.04 LTS installed
2. Launch `shares-admin`
3. Confirm installation of sharing services by clicking "Install services" in the opened window

Expected results:
* services are installed

Actual results:
* services are not installed, terminal shows the error:

```
** (shares-admin:9029): WARNING **: 12:11:42.050: failed to install package: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.freedesktop.PackageKit was not provided by any .service files
```

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: gnome-system-tools 3.0.0-9ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-42.46-generic 5.4.44
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-42-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.4
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CurrentDesktop: MATE
Date: Mon Jul 27 12:06:27 2020
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-07-08 (18 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-MATE 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200423)
SourcePackage: gnome-system-tools
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

$ sudo apt install packagekit
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
packagekit is already the newest version (1.1.13-2ubuntu1).
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

[Ubuntu QA Website (ubuntuqa)]

This bug has been reported on the Ubuntu ISO testing tracker.

A list of all reports related to this bug can be found here:
http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/reports/bugs/1889057

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

On Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and 18.04 LTS this installation was done by SessionInstaller ( https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/sessioninstaller ). In 20.04 LTS and newer systems this package is removed.

So theoretically speaking the following installation command should make the packagekit available:

```
sudo apt-get install 'packagekit*'
```

and then `shares-admin` will open GNOME Software to install the needed dependencies.
But this does not work. GNOME Software is very useful application!

So the bug is fixable by

a. manual installation of additional packages before launching `shares-admin`:

```
sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server samba
shares-admin
```

b. manual download and installation of `sessioninstaller` package from 18.04 LTS and then launching `shares-admin`

```
cd ~/Downloads
wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/s/sessioninstaller/sessioninstaller_0.20+bzr150-0ubuntu4.1_all.deb
sudo apt-get install ./sessioninstaller_0.20+bzr150-0ubuntu4.1_all.deb
shares-admin
```

Any comments?

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

It's MATE's job to provide a session installer based on PackageKit, GNOME uses GNOME Software.

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

I have no idea why gnome-software doesn't find this for you, the bug is confusingly written. The bug description suggests it is not installed, then the comment suggests it is installed and not working?

Anyway, gnome-software should work here. And ubuntu-mate meta packages should have the correct dependencies that packagekit is functional.

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

Ok, great. Thank you for all your kindful help.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for gnome-software (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

This still happens on Ubuntu MATE 22.04 LTS.
Reported upstream to https://github.com/LStranger/gnome-system-tools/issues/1 .