dpkg: Package database corruption ?

Automatically imported from Debian bug report #264974 http://bugs.debian.org/264974

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 10:01:35 +0200 (CEST)
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <email address hidden>
Subject: dpkg: Package database corruption ?

Package: dpkg
Version: 1.10.23
Severity: important

Altho i've updated the package lists (both in dselect and with apt-get),
the changes aren't effective.

I can't reinstall (apt-get install --reinstall <pkg>) updated packages.
e.g. At the moment i can't reinstall base-files. If i try tp update it,
it tells me it's up to date.

Looking closer to the package information, i can see that the "filename"
isn't present for affected packages.

So far, the only way i found in order to install the updated version of
a package is to:
-> dpkg -r <pkg>
-> apt-get install <pkg>

That way, it downloads the last version (it's unacceptable for essential
packages like base-files).
So the information is somewhat there but apt-get and dselect are unable
to use it.

Here's the content of my /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://ftp.it.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib
non-free
deb-src http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main
contrib non-free

deb http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/debian $(ARCH)/
deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ unstable main

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (99, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.4
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (ignored: LC_ALL set to fr_CA.ISO8859-1)

Versions of packages dpkg depends on:
ii dselect 1.10.22 a user tool to manage Debian packa
ii libc6 2.3.2.ds1-13 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an

-- no debconf information

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Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 21:26:08 +0200 (CEST)
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: "workaround"

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I could update my packages by taking the /var/lib/dpkg/available from another Debian unstable
computer and running "apt-get install".

Still, it's very annoying and i don't think that fixed the problem...
I can't test tho as there isn't any addition to the archive at the moment.

- -Pascal
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Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 00:07:27 +0200 (CEST)
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Proper priority

severity 264974 critical

breaks my system...

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Severity-inflated support request

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 20:11:39 -0500 (CDT)
From: Adam Heath <email address hidden>
To: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>,
    <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#264974: dpkg: Package database corruption ?

severity 264974 normal
thanks

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004, Pascal Giard wrote:

> Severity: important

It's not important, and not critical. It's user error, not reading
documentation.

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 20:05:07 -0500 (CDT)
From: Adam Heath <email address hidden>
To: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>,
    <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: Bug#264974: dpkg: Package database corruption ?

reassign 264974 apt
thanks

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004, Pascal Giard wrote:

> Package: dpkg
> Version: 1.10.23
> Severity: important
>
> Altho i've updated the package lists (both in dselect and with apt-get),
> the changes aren't effective.

How did you come to this conclusion? You give no mention of what you are
*really* trying to do. You only make some half-assed attempts at doing
something, and we have to use our psychic powers to infer what you actually
mean.

> I can't reinstall (apt-get install --reinstall <pkg>) updated packages.
> e.g. At the moment i can't reinstall base-files. If i try tp update it,
> it tells me it's up to date.

--reinstall tells apt to reinstall the exact version of the package you
currently have installed. It does *not* upgrade it. If the exact version of
the package you have installed is not available in sources.list, then apt will
do nothing.

> Looking closer to the package information, i can see that the "filename"
> isn't present for affected packages.

What did you do to figure this out? Please don't hold anything back.
Contrary to what I said above, we can not read your mind.

> So far, the only way i found in order to install the updated version of
> a package is to:
> -> dpkg -r <pkg>
> -> apt-get install <pkg>

apt-get install <pkg> is *not* the same as apt-get install --reinstall <pkg>.
Remove the --reinstall option, and it will work.

> That way, it downloads the last version (it's unacceptable for essential
> packages like base-files).
> So the information is somewhat there but apt-get and dselect are unable
> to use it.
>
> Here's the content of my /etc/apt/sources.list:
>
> deb http://ftp.it.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
> deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
> deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib
> non-free
> deb-src http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main
> contrib non-free
>
> deb http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/debian $(ARCH)/
> deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ unstable main

Besides, this is an apt bug, not dpkg bug.

Message-ID: <email address hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 05:32:45 +0200 (CEST)
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Pascal=20Giard?= <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Cc: <email address hidden>
Subject: found out the problem

You were right, the problem was with apt.

Actually, the problem was with the /etc/apt/preferences file installed by upgrade-system.

-Pascal

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