Bug#355934: openssh-client won't upgrade as there's something wrong with update-alternatives

[Kim Holviala <kim@holviala.com>]

Package: openssh-client
Version: 1:4.2p1-7
Severity: important


A regular apt-get update on my Debian Unstable today failed with the following symptoms:

cube:~# apt-get -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
3 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up openssh-client (4.2p1-7) ...
update-alternatives: internal error: /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/rcp corrupt: manflag
dpkg: error processing openssh-client (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of openssh-server:
 openssh-server depends on openssh-client (= 1:4.2p1-7); however:
  Package openssh-client is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing openssh-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of ssh:
 ssh depends on openssh-client; however:
  Package openssh-client is not configured yet.
 ssh depends on openssh-server; however:
  Package openssh-server is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing ssh (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 openssh-client
 openssh-server
 ssh
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)


I can't remember the command which would fix the situation - this is my workstation so 
I'm not too worried about this, but I thought I'd report it anyway.


-- 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 2.6.15.4
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=fi_FI (charmap=ISO-8859-1)

Versions of packages openssh-client depends on:
ii  adduser       3.85                       Add and remove users and groups
ii  debconf [debc 1.4.71                     Debian configuration management sy
ii  dpkg          1.13.16                    package maintenance system for Deb
ii  libc6         2.3.6-3                    GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libcomerr2    1.38+1.39-WIP-2005.12.31-1 common error description library
ii  libedit2      2.9.cvs.20050518-2.2       BSD editline and history libraries
ii  libkrb53      1.4.3-6                    MIT Kerberos runtime libraries
ii  libncurses5   5.5-1                      Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii  libselinux1   1.28-4                     SELinux shared libraries
ii  libssl0.9.8   0.9.8a-7                   SSL shared libraries
ii  zlib1g        1:1.2.3-11                 compression library - runtime

openssh-client recommends no packages.

-- no debconf information