Bug#359355: linux-image-2.6.16-1-686: postinst fails with "mkinitramfs-kpkg: line 55: supported_host_version: unbound variable"

[Jamie Wilkinson <jaq@debian.org>]

Package: linux-image-2.6.16-1-686
Version: 2.6.16-3
Severity: important

Upgrading today fails with the following transcript:

dawn# aptitude upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done
Building tag database... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  gnome-media openobex-apps postgresql-common
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 3 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (2.6.16-3) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using mkinitramfs-kpkg to build the ramdisk.
/usr/sbin/mkinitramfs-kpkg: line 55: supported_host_version: unbound variable
mkinitramfs-kpkg failed to create initrd image.
Failed to create initrd image.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686:
 linux-image-2.6-686 depends on linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (= 2.6.16-3); however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686 (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.16-1-686
 linux-image-2.6-686
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install.  Trying to recover:
Setting up linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (2.6.16-3) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using mkinitramfs-kpkg to build the ramdisk.
/usr/sbin/mkinitramfs-kpkg: line 55: supported_host_version: unbound variable
mkinitramfs-kpkg failed to create initrd image.
Failed to create initrd image.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 9
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-2.6-686:
 linux-image-2.6-686 depends on linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 (= 2.6.16-3); however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6-686 (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.16-1-686
 linux-image-2.6-686


-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.16-1-686
Locale: LANG=en_AU.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_AU.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)

Versions of packages linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 depends on:
ii  initramfs-tools [linux-initra 0.59       tools for generating an initramfs
ii  module-init-tools             3.2.2-2    tools for managing Linux kernel mo

Versions of packages linux-image-2.6.16-1-686 recommends:
ii  libc6-i686                    2.3.6-4    GNU C Library: Shared libraries [i

-- debconf information:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/initrd-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/create-kimage-link-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/lilo-has-ramdisk:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/prerm/removing-running-kernel-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/old-dir-initrd-link-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/depmod-error-initrd-2.6.16-1-686: false
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/lilo-initrd-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/old-system-map-link-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/kimage-is-a-directory:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/bootloader-initrd-2.6.16-1-686: true
* linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/already-running-this-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/overwriting-modules-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/old-initrd-link-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/abort-overwrite-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/depmod-error-2.6.16-1-686: false
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/failed-to-move-modules-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/elilo-initrd-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/prerm/would-invalidate-boot-loader-2.6.16-1-686: true
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/bootloader-error-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/preinst/abort-install-2.6.16-1-686:
  linux-image-2.6.16-1-686/postinst/bootloader-test-error-2.6.16-1-686: