Bug#722880: apt: Apt fails to solve some dependencies in a multiarch scenario.

[Gustavo Prado Alkmim <alkmim@ic.unicamp.br>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.9.9.4
Severity: important

Dear Maintainer,

I'm working in a multiarch scenario where amd64 is the architecture of my
machine and armhf is a foreign architecture. I found two cases where
apt fails to solve the dependencies of packages even where a solution exist.

First case: I was trying to crossbuild a source package A that build-depends
package B:armhf where the build architecture is amd64 and the host 
architecture is armhf. Package B is multiarch: foreign. Apt install package 
B:armhf instead of B:amd64 even B being a multiarch: foreign package. IMHO, apt
should install B:amd64 to solve the build-dependencies instead of B:armhf.

Second case: I was trying to crossbuild a source package A that build-depends
package B:any that depends package C:all where the build architecture is amd64 
and the host architecture is armhf. Package B is multiarch: same and Package C 
is multiarch: foreign. Apt fails to solve the dependencies because it tries to 
install package C:armhf instead of Package C:all which is a multiarch: foreign
package. IMHO, apt should install Package C:all without returning error.

I'm not usually with reporting bugs. Please, be nice :-) .

Thanks, 

Gustavo Alkmim

-- Package-specific info:

-- (no /etc/apt/preferences present) --


-- (/etc/apt/sources.list present, but not submitted) --


-- System Information:
Debian Release: jessie/sid
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii  debian-archive-keyring  2012.4
ii  gnupg                   1.4.14-1
ii  libapt-pkg4.12          0.9.9.4
ii  libc6                   2.17-7
ii  libgcc1                 1:4.8.1-2
ii  libstdc++6              4.8.1-2

apt recommends no packages.

Versions of packages apt suggests:
pn  apt-doc     <none>
ii  aptitude    0.6.8.2-1
ii  dpkg-dev    1.16.10
ii  python-apt  0.8.9
ii  synaptic    0.80.2
ii  xz-utils    5.1.1alpha+20120614-2

-- no debconf information