Errors while installing OpenSSL from source (.deb) files

Question

I am fairly new to raspberry pi's and Linux so forgive me if my question is trivial.

I have been trying to install openssl and libssl via ssh on a Raspberry Pi zero that does not have access to the internet. I tried everything mentioned here and nothing worked:

And also tried to get things working on my own by first downloading the .deb files from these links:

1. https://packages.debian.org/jessie-backports/armhf/openssl/download
2. https://packages.debian.org/jessie-backports/armhf/libssl1.0.0/download

and then after using scp to move the files to my /usr/local/lib directory I ran the following commands:

pi@host:/usr/local/lib $ sudo dpkg -i libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb 
(Reading database ... 119764 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb ...
Unpacking libssl1.0.0:armhf (1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1) over (1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1) ...
Setting up libssl1.0.0:armhf (1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.19-18+deb8u10) ...
pi@host:/usr/local/lib $ sudo dpkg -i openssl_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb 
(Reading database ... 119764 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack openssl_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb ...
Unpacking openssl (1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1) over (1.0.1t-1+deb8u7) ...
Setting up openssl (1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.5-1~bpo8+1) ...
pi@host:/usr/local/lib $ sudo apt install -f
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 4 not upgraded.

Then I tried a different approach:

pi@host:/usr/local/lib $ sudo apt install ./libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb 

Which resulted in the command line printing like a million error lines like this: (there are alot more that I didn't include but they all looked the same)

E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'cantab-theme' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'cantab-wallpaper' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'fontconfig-infinality' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'gtk2-engines-clearlookspix' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'libplymouth-dev' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'libplymouth4' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'lxkeymap' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pi-greeter' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pi-package' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pi-package-session' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pi-package-data' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'piclone' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pimixer' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pipanel' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pishutdown' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pix-icons' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'rpd-icons' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pix-plym-splash' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'rpd-plym-splash' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pixel-wallpaper' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'rpd-wallpaper' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'point-rpi' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'pprompt' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'raspberrypi-ui-mods' was not found
E: Release 'libssl1.0.0_1.0.2l-1~bpo8+1_armhf.deb' for 'rc-gui' was not found

I have also run sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade both before and after attempting to install.

Can anyone explain to me what exactly is going wrong here? Am I installing incorrectly? If yes how so? I assume that there is something really fundamental here that I don't understand? Help appreciated!

Answer 1

With the first attempt you try to install openSSL from the deb packages. This is very painful because openssl depends on libssl1.1 and this depends on debconf and ... (assuming Raspbian Stretch). You have to find all needed packages, dowload them on another computer and copy them to the RPi0.

With the second attempt you use apt but that needs an internet connection. Without it it cannot find any of the files it want to access.

The best is when you can manage that the RPi0 has internet access. You can also try to put its SD Card into another RasPi with internet access, install things and put it back to the RPi0.