missing backup directory

[Haines Brown]

I just installed TeXLive in a new box. It opearting system is devuan
(a fork of debian). I installed as user.

Everything seem to go well until I tried to use latex (a .tex file not
+recognized as TeX).


  $ latex text.tex
  This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.23 (TeX Live 2021) (preloaded
+format=latex)
   restricted \write18 enabled.

  kpathsea: Running mktexfmt latex.fmt
  mktexfmt: mktexfmt is using the following fmtutil.cnf files (in precedence order):
  mktexfmt: mktexfmt is using the following fmtutil.cnf file for writing changes:
  mktexfmt:   /home/haines/.texlive2021/texmf-config/web2c/fmtutil.cnf
  mktexfmt [INFO]: writing formats under /usr/local/texlive/2021/texmf-var/web2c
  mktexfmt [INFO]: Did not find entry for byfmt=latex skipped
  mktexfmt [INFO]: total formats: 0
  mktexfmt [INFO]: exiting with status 0
  I can't find the format file `latex.fmt'!

Another oddity. I start tlmgr gui and click on Backup. This is the error I get:L

        tlmrg: backupdir as set in tlpdb
          /usr/local/lexlive/201/tlpkg backups
        is not a directory

Indeed the directory is missing. I hesitage simply to create it in the
fear that doing so hides a deeper problem.

I go to the tlmgr gui and do actions_>Rebuild all formates and get this error:

        fmtutil [WARNING]: You seem to have no formats defined in your fmtutil.cnf files!
        fmtutil [INFO]: total formats: 0
        fmtutil [INFO]: exiting with status 0

I did $ sudo fmtutil-sys --all . This produced a lot of return and ended with:

    Transcript written on dviluatex.log.
    fmtutil [INFO]: log file copied to:
	+/var/lib/texmf/web2c/luatex/dviluatex.log
    fmtutil [INFO]: /var/lib/texmf/web2c/luatex/dviluatex.fmt installed.
    fmtutil [INFO]: successfully rebuilt formats: 17
    fmtutil [INFO]: total formats: 17
    fmtutil [INFO]: exiting with status 0

but it didn't fix the problem

-- 
Haines Brown