Debian Bug report logs - #21170
dpkg malfunction-unable to upgrade Debian

Toggle useless messages

Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Costantino Sertorio <c_sertorio@yahoo.com>

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: dpkg malfunction-unable to upgrade Debian

Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 05:14:35 -0700 (PDT)

The error appears as I'm trying to upgrade my old 1.2 version of
Debian Linux to a new one.
The problem is, dselect gives me an error and stops during "update
packages". 
The result is that I can not upgrade in any way my Debian
installation, because I am not able to run dpkg.

Apparently, it doesn't like version numbers in "Packages" which
contain a colon. It stops at cdda2wav, because the version number
contains ":".

My old version of dpkg is 1.2.11 (i386 elf), I'm trying to install
Debian 1.3.1.
Kernel version: 2.0.18 #1 Mon Sep 9 01:07:33 PDT 1996 i586     
libc version:   libc.so.5.2.18        
                                                            
I report here what dselects prints out:

- ------------------------------------
.
.
.
Using `/cdrom/stable/binary-i386' as main binary dir.
Using `/cdrom/stable/binary-i386/Packages.gz' for main.
Using `/cdrom/contrib/binary-i386' as contrib binary dir.
Using `/cdrom/contrib/binary-i386/Packages.gz' for contrib.
`/cdrom/non-free/binary-i386' does not exist.
Which directory contains the *.deb packages from the non-free
distribution
area (this directory is named `non-free/binary' on the distribution
site) ?
Say `none' if this area is not available.
Enter _non-free_ binary dir. []
 ?  none
`/cdrom/local/binary-i386' does not exist.
Which directory contains the *.deb packages from the local
distribution
area (this directory is named `local/binary' on the distribution site)
?
Say `none' if this area is not available.
Enter _local_ binary dir. []
 ?  none
Hit RETURN to continue.
Uncompressing /cdrom/stable/binary-i386/Packages.gz ... done.
Replacing available packages info, using packages-main.
Information about 980 package(s) was updated.
Uncompressing /cdrom/contrib/binary-i386/Packages.gz ... done.
Updating available packages info, using packages-ctb.
Information about 32 package(s) was updated.
dpkg: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 13596
package 
`cdda2wav':
 empty value for version
update available list script returned error exit status 1.
Press RETURN to continue.    

-----Then I choose SELECT from the dselect menu and obtain:


dselect: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line
13596 package 
`cdda2wav':
 empty value for version     

#

-----And I'm dropped out.





==
      Costantino Sertorio
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Message #12 received at 21170@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: jdassen@wi.leidenuniv.nl

To: 21170@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: dpkg malfunction-unable to upgrade Debian

Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 12:43:32 +0200

You wrote:
>Apparently, it doesn't like version numbers in "Packages" which contain a
>colon. It stops at cdda2wav, because the version number contains ":".

That's the "epoch" feature, used in cases where the upstream version
numbering scheme changed, to make set dpkg's idea of which versions are
newer than others straight. 

>My old version of dpkg is 1.2.11 (i386 elf), I'm trying to install Debian
>1.3.1.

Your version of dpkg does not support epochs. You'll have to upgrade dpkg
with dpkg first (dpkg -i dpkg-from-1.3.1.deb) (if that doesn't work, do dpkg
--clear-avail, then dpkg -i dpkg-from-1.3.1.deb). After that upgrade, you
should be able to continue with dselect.

This information used to be in the upgrades/ directory on the FTP site, but
has apparently been removed.

HTH,
Ray
-- 
J.H.M. Dassen                 | RUMOUR  Believe all you hear. Your world may  
jdassen@wi.LeidenUniv.nl      | not be a better one than the one the blocks   
                              | live in but it'll be a sight more vivid.      
                              |     - The Hipcrime Vocab by Chad C. Mulligan  

Message #17 received at 21170-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Robert Woodcock <rcw@debian.org>

To: 21170-done@bugs.debian.org

Subject: epochs? oh dear

Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 00:22:24 -0700

It's well documented that epochs are a dpkg 1.4.x thing and that people have
to get that.
-- 
Robert Woodcock - rcw@debian.org
"Hacking... is a completely creepy thing to do." -- US Department Of Justice

Send a report that this bug log contains spam.