Bug#608022: upgrade-reports: etch->squeeze upgrade, failed due to libc6, dpkg, xz-utils dependencies

["Witold Baryluk" <baryluk@smp.if.uj.edu.pl>]

Package: upgrade-reports
Severity: normal
Tags: squeeze


I found old machine with etch, and decided to upgrade it.

I had no really important services there, so i decided i will try
to upgrade directly from etch to squeeze.

First i upgraded etch to latest version (I used archive.debian.org for this).

then switched  sources.lst to squeeze, downloaded all package, and started dist-upgrade.

It is small system (basesystem+sshd+mc+locales+screen), so only about 200 packages neede do to be updated.

Unfortunetly I run into problem with libc upgrade, and subsequently with most other packages:

...
Zaznaczenie poprzednio niezaznaczonego pakietu libc-bin.
dpkg: regarding .../libc-bin_2.11.2-7_i386.deb containing libc-bin:
 package uses Breaks; not supported in this dpkg
dpkg: błąd przetwarzania /var/cache/apt/archives/libc-bin_2.11.2-7_i386.deb (--unpack):
 unsupported dependency problem - not installing libc-bin
  ...


So i have too old dpkg, not good. Maybe upgradeing dpkg first would solve this.
Too late, but will try to upgrade it manually:

root@schizofrenik:/var/cache/apt/archives# dpkg -i dpkg_1.15.8.5_i386.deb 
dpkg: regarding dpkg_1.15.8.5_i386.deb containing dpkg, pre-dependency problem:
 dpkg pre-depends on xz-utils
  xz-utils is not installed.
  dpkg: error processing dpkg_1.15.8.5_i386.deb (--install):
   pre-dependency problem - not installing dpkg
   Errors were encountered while processing:
    dpkg_1.15.8.5_i386.deb
#

Hmm

root@schizofrenik:/var/cache/apt/archives# dpkg -i xz-utils_5.0.0-2_i386.deb 
dpkg: regarding xz-utils_5.0.0-2_i386.deb containing xz-utils:
 package uses Breaks; not supported in this dpkg
dpkg: error processing xz-utils_5.0.0-2_i386.deb (--install):
 unsupported dependency problem - not installing xz-utils
 Errors were encountered while processing:
  xz-utils_5.0.0-2_i386.deb
#

Chiken and egg problem.

Probably doing etch->lenny->squeeze will work.


If it is not easy to fix, please add information that upgrade from etch (or older) to squeeze
will not work due to known problems with upgrade path (libc6/dpkg releated). And ask
upgradeing to lenny first (or just dpkg package from lenny actually).

(Currently release/upgrade notes, do not really say anything about upgrades
from older releases, suggesting it can work. But it will not work without problems.
And it is waste of  users time and nerves. just
go with something more reliable like etch->lenny->squeeze)

This system was really smallest system I have. With bigger installations,
problem would be deffinietivly bigger.

Other possibility would be to backport some changes in dpkg to etch
(I know it is not supported, but this fix is for basically to simplify migrating from etch :D).
Ignoring "Breaks" field look one of the simples options.


Thanks.

PS. I resolved problem by doing  dpkg --force-all  for few packages: dpkg, xz-utils, liblzma2, libc-bin, libc6,
libc6-xen, perl-base, and then doing apt-get install -f, and apt-get dist-upgrade, without problem or rest of system.
So beside this dpkg "Breaks" unsupported error which stoped upgrade, i managed to upgrade
whole system sucessfully (and it booted without problems).

-- 
Witold Baryluk