Re: question about dependencies

["Eric G. Miller" <egm2@jps.net>]

On Tue, Aug 21, 2001 at 02:13:41PM -0400, Mike Dresser wrote:
> (originally was going to submit a bug, but decided to ask here instead,
> so cut/pasted this to here)
> 
> Package: slocate
> Version: 2.4-2potato1
> Severity: normal
> 
> I removed adduser from a system here awhile ago.  Today, i went to
> install slocate
> 
> sl:~# apt-get install slocate
> Reading Package Lists... Done
> Building Dependency Tree... Done
> The following NEW packages will be installed:
>   slocate
> 0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
> Need to get 0B/21.9kB of archives. After unpacking 63.5kB will be used.
> debconf: failed to initialize Dialog frontend
> debconf: falling back to Text frontend
> Selecting previously deselected package slocate.
> (Reading database ... 6383 files and directories currently installed.)
> Unpacking slocate (from .../slocate_2.4-2potato1_i386.deb) ...
> Adding `diversion of /usr/bin/locate to /usr/bin/locate.notslocate by
> slocate'
> Adding `diversion of /usr/bin/updatedb to /usr/bin/updatedb.notslocate
> by slocate'
> Adding `diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/locate.1.gz to
> /usr/share/man/man1/locate.notslocate.1.gz by slocate'
> Adding `diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/updatedb.1.gz to
> /usr/share/man/man1/updatedb.notslocate.1.gz by slocate'
> Adding `diversion of /etc/cron.daily/find to
> /etc/cron.daily/find.notslocate by slocate'
> Setting up slocate (2.4-2potato1) ...
> Changing permissions on: /usr/bin/slocate
> chown: root.slocate: invalid group
> dpkg: error processing slocate (--configure):
>  subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
> Errors were encountered while processing:
>  slocate
> E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
> 
> Looks like it uses adduser to add the slocate user.  Am I just daft in
> my understanding of dependencies?

No. It's just "chown"-ing a file, but the group "slocate" apparently doesn't
exist.  Try adding the group yourself (I don't see an "slocate" group in
my /etc/group file, so I can't tell you what group id it should be...).
	
> Does a required package(adduser) end up automatically a dependency for
> everything else?  If nothing else, maybe it could show the failed
> adduser in the postinst script

I see adduser is a dependency in "sid" for "slocate", so yes, it should
be installed with slocate.  Maybe install it and then come back to
slocate...

-- 
Eric G. Miller <egm2@jps.net>