Bug#232122: libc6: install error: "error creating directory `./sys': Permission denied"

[Ben Finney <ben@benfinney.id.au>]

Package: libc6
Version: 2.3.2.ds1-11
Severity: grave
Justification: renders package unusable

When attempting to install the libc6 package, dpkg gives this error
during unpack:

=====
$ sudo dpkg --install /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_i386.deb
(Reading database ... 133354 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6 2.3.2.ds1-10 (using .../libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement libc6 ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_i386.deb (--install):
 error creating directory `./sys': Permission denied
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_i386.deb
$
=====

Possibly related to this changelog entry for the package:

=====
  * GOTO Masanori  <gotom@debian.org>
[...]
    - debian/debhelper.in/libc.dirs: add to make /sys.
[...]
                                                                                                    
 -- Daniel Jacobowitz <dan@debian.org>  Tue, 20 Jan 2004 09:41:48 -0500
=====


-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux rose 2.6.0 #3 Wed Jan 28 10:00:11 EST 2004 i686
Locale: LANG=en_AU.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_AU.UTF-8

-- no debconf information