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Re: merged-/usr-via-symlinks damage control (was Re: usrmerge -- plan B?)



On Sun, 2019-02-24 at 03:23:09 +0100, Guillem Jover wrote:
> On Tue, 2019-02-19 at 05:49:24 +0100, Guillem Jover wrote:
[…]
> >   - file a bug on base-installer to request an option to install
> >     non-broken systems due to merged-/usr-via-symlinks.
> 
> Done. <https://bugs.debian.org/923091>

This got a patch from Colin Watson (thanks!), but it never got applied
before the release, :( I think the commit description does not fully
reflect the current situation and problems, but I'd take that patch as
is any day.

Doing an installation w/o the broken deployment is not too difficult
though, as long as you know what needs doing:

  - Select expert mode.
  - Do all the steps, until installing the base system.
  - Spawn a shell:
    + Edit /var/lib/dpkg/info/bootstrap-base.posinst,
    + Add --no-merged-usr to the debootstrap call.
  - Proceed with the installation.


In addition this deployment method also breaks:

  - dlocate.
  - apt-file.
  - packages.debian.org's search.
  - find /lib (or any of the other symlinked directories).
  - …

> > And I'm probably going to end up writing a unmerge-usr-via-symlinks
> > script so that people with damaged systems can go back somewhat to a
> > sane state, and to open the possibility for a fully automated migration
> > to a proper and correct merged-/usr w/o all the problems above.
> 
> And I might need to start on this soon enough. :(

I'm not sure I can be bothered TBH.

> In addition, given that most probably Debian buster will end up
> installing broken systems by default. I might end up also looking into
> generating fixed minimal netinst images or mini netboot images with a
> fixed debootstrap, or I guess just cdebootstrap present which has
> sane behavior. But I would definitely not be able host the artifacts
> for those. :/

So this happened in buster, but as per the above, one can "easily" avoid
the breakage, if you know about it. :/

Thanks,
Guillem


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