Bug#223547: Libc6 2.3.2.ds1-10 breaks system functionality on mipsel

["Massimo Cetra" <mcetra@navynet.it>]

Package: libc6
Version: 2.3.2.ds1-10
Section: base
Priority: required
Architecture: mipsel
Depends: libdb1-compat
Suggests: locales, glibc-doc
Conflicts: strace (<< 4.0-0), libnss-db (<= 2.2-6.1.1), timezone,
timezones, gconv-mo
Replaces: ldso (<= 1.9.11-9), timezone, timezones, gconv-modules,
libtricks, netkit-r
Provides: glibc-2.3.2.ds1-10
Installed-Size: 15388
Maintainer: GNU Libc Maintainers <debian-glibc@lists.debian.org>
Source: glibc


#**************************
#*** SYSTEM INFO
#**************************

Cobalt Raq2

sh-2.05b# uname -a
Linux 10.10.10.99 2.4.18 #9 Sat Jun 15 13:00:18 BST 2002 mips unknown

# cat /proc/cpuinfo
system type             : MIPS Cobalt
processor               : 0
cpu model               : Nevada V10.0  FPU V10.0
BogoMIPS                : 249.03
wait instruction        : yes
microsecond timers      : yes
tlb_entries             : 48
extra interrupt vector  : yes
hardware watchpoint     : no
VCED exceptions         : not available
VCEI exceptions         : not available
#

#*****************************
#*** Problems
#*****************************

Package libc6_2.3.2.ds1-10_mipsel.deb refused to install.
After several trials in order to fix the problem (and restore  the apt
funcionality) I forced an dpkg-deb -x  to /.

Nothing worked anymore.
Tar refuses to work, commands like ls showed strange behaviour:

Look at permissions on files:

cobalt:~# ls -la /bin/ls
-x    1 root     root        80152 Mar 18  2002 /bin/ls
cobalt:~# ls -la /bin/ls
ÄöÖ?X.z.-x    1 root     root        80152 Mar 18  2002 /bin/ls
cobalt:~# ls -la /bin/ls
ÅöÖ?.Bx-x    1 root     root        80152 Mar 18  2002 /bin/ls
cobalt:~# ls -la /bin/ls
ÆöÖ?g-x    1 root     root        80152 Mar 18  2002 /bin/ls
cobalt:~#


sh-2.05a# ls -la /etc/localtime
ãJm88µx    1 root     root           31 Oct 25  2003 /etc/localtime ->
usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Rome
sh-2.05a# ls -la /etc/localtime
äJm¨Íwx    1 root     root           31 Oct 25  2003 /etc/localtime ->
/usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Rome
sh-2.05a# ls -la /etc/localtime
åJmì*wx    1 root     root           31 Oct 25  2003 /etc/localtime ->
/usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Rome
sh-2.05a#


cobalt:~# tar
Segmentation fault
cobalt:~#

Booting with rescue image and overwriting with old
libc6_2.2.5-11.5_mipsel.deb solved the problem.

All testing distribution of Debian on mipsel is corrupted and unusable.

Regards,

 Massimo Cetra