Bug#119267: apt: Sometimes bombs out after unpacking lots of packages without configuring them

[Greg Stark <gsstark@mit.edu>]

Jason Gunthorpe <jgg@debian.org> writes:

> On Mon, 12 Nov 2001, Gregory Stark wrote:
> 
> > In the following case after a single bad package fails to unpack apt proceeds
> > to unpack several dozen more packages then exits. It fails to install about 40
> > more packages for no reason, and it doesn't even configure the 20 packages it
> > unpacked. I suppose the work-around is the same as it was for dselect, keep
> > repeating the command until all the packages are installed?
> 
> This is a general problem with dpkg.

Saying that doesn't make it not a bug.

There has to be a work-around so apt doesn't leave the system in a broken
state. Why not look at the package statuses after the dpkg run to see what
work remains to be done? The status quo is that apt is so fragile that any
dpkg or package errors whatsoever and you get a broken system?

-- 
greg