Bug#1115158: debootstrap: default invocation creates chroot with broken symlinks
Hi,
On 2025-09-13 17:52, cacin@allfreemail.net wrote:
> Package: debootstrap
> Version: 1.0.141
> Severity: serious
>
> Dear Maintainer,
>
> a typical use of debootstrap to create a chroot:
> ```
> # debootstrap --arch=amd64 trixie /trixie https://deb.debian.org/debian
> ```
>
> Leads to a filesystem with the following broken symlinks:
> ```
> # find /trixie -xtype l
> /trixie/etc/default/locale
> /trixie/etc/vconsole.conf
> /trixie/etc/mtab
> ```
>
> This is definitely unexpected and unwanted, and likely in breach of some part
> of debian policy (although I cannot find an exact sentence to quote).
>
> The /etc/default/locale symlink points to /etc/locale.conf which doesn't exist
> after a default debootstrap run. /etc/default/locale is an old compatibility
> symlink and should be removed anyway.
>
> The /etc/vconsole.conf symlink points to /etc/default/keyboard, which also
> doesn't exist after a default debootstrap run. /etc/default/keyboard is a
> debianism that should be removed, and /etc/vconsole.conf is the configuration
> file that systemd-based distributions standardize around, and is not a symlink
> on such distributions.
>
> The /etc/mtab is also a very old compatibility symlink that points to
> /proc/self/mounts but this broken symlink will likely be harder to agree on
> removing. Additionally, unlike the previous two symlinks, /etc/mtab stops being
> a broken symlink if /proc is mounted into the chroot, so it is less of an
> issue.
>
> Please try to find a way of making default run of debootstrap not create
> chroots with broken symlinks.
debootstrap doesn't create those symlinks, they are provided by the
installed packages. Please report the bugs to the corresponding packages
instead.
Regards
Aurelien
--
Aurelien Jarno GPG: 4096R/1DDD8C9B
aurelien@aurel32.net http://aurel32.net
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