Bug#235401: tetex-bin: Fails to install in chroot

[frank@kuesterei.ch (Frank Küster)]

Daniel Schepler <schepler@math.berkeley.edu> wrote:

> Package: tetex-bin
> Version: 2.0.2-8
> Severity: grave
>
> When I try to use pbuilder to build a package which Build-Depends on
> tetex-bin, I get the messages:
>
> Setting up tetex-bin (2.0.2-8) ...
> Generating /var/lib/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf ... done
> Generating /var/lib/texmf/web2c/fmtutil.cnf ... done
> Regenerating /var/lib/texmf/web2c/updmap.cfg ... done
> Running initex. This may take some time. ...
> Error: `tex -ini  -jobname=latex -progname=latex latex.ini' failed
> Error: `etex -ini  -jobname=elatex -progname=elatex *elatex.ini' failed
> Error: `pdftex -ini  -jobname=pdflatex -progname=pdflatex pdflatex.ini' failed
> Error: `pdfetex -ini  -jobname=pdfelatex -progname=pdfelatex *pdfelatex.ini' failed
> Error: `omega -ini  -jobname=lambda -progname=lambda lambda.ini' failed
> fmtutil: /usr/share/texmf/web2c/omega.oft installed.
[...]
> ###############################################################################
> fmtutil: Error! Not all formats have been built successfully.
> Visit the log files in directory
>   /usr/share/texmf/web2c
> for details.
> ###############################################################################
[...]
> Output of initex is in /tmp/texW5rsWA
> Output of updmap is in /tmp/updmVcHlM3
[...]
> More worryingly, the errors don't cause the postinst to bail out with
> an error

This is because we generate the formats by calling texconfig, and this
script gives a nonzero exit code only when the script itself fails, not
when one of the tex commands it calls fail. 

> , though they do in tetex-extra's postinst.

We generate the missing formats of tetex-extra with fmtutil, which
behaves differently than texconfig. Thanks for the hint, it's on my TODD
list. 

>  A look in
> /usr/share/texmf/web2c/latex.log shows:
>
> ...
> \l@austrian=\language3
> \l@For=\language4
>
> ! I can't find file `use'.
> <to be read again>

Could you provide us with more context lines - perhaps it's best to post
the complete file in this case.

The problem is really strange, I also couldn't reproduce it in an
up-to-date pbuilder environment. It seems something went wrong with
debconf's way to handle language.dat.

Could you please give us the output of the following commands:

kpsewhich language.dat
ls -l `kpsewhich language.dat`
cat `kpsewhich language.dat`

Also, it would be interesting to know whether 

- you can reproduce it in a new pbuilder environment (I guess so)

- when you log into pbuilder, whether a manual call of "texconfig init"
  or of "fmtutil --all" gives the same error.

Thank you, Frank
-- 
Frank Küster, Biozentrum der Univ. Basel
Abt. Biophysikalische Chemie