Bug#261764: apt: /var/lib/dpkg/available NOT CORRECT

["John D. Hendrickson" <jdh@hend.net>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.5.4
Severity: important



-- System Information
Debian Release: 3.0
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux link 2.4.20-mm #1 Tue Feb 24 17:47:00 EST 2004 i586
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C

Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii  libc6                  2.2.5-11.2        GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 1:2.95.4-11woody1 The GNU stdc++ library


Hi,

I used debian docs and ...
	# apt-get update
	# apt-get dist-upgrade

However, I found on the first upgrading machine things weren't right.

I checked /var/lib/dpkg/available to find it was a jumble of wrong.
Pakcages not really available, etc...
And of course "dist-upgrade" was using that wrong list to calculate the
upgrade.  No good.

I used jigdo to get sarge.  Fine.  I kept Woody CD's online too.  Fine.

I deleted /var/lib/dpkg/available and did apt-get update again, and the
list was a mirror of correct.

Is this a problem with apt-get, or should Debian APT-HOWTO mention that
file available must be removed?

I still had many upgrade problems, of course.  But not ones related to having
an incorrect available list - which can do some wierd things.