Update from kubuntu Jaunty Jacalope failed : Couldn't configure pre-depend mysql-server for mythtv-backend-master, probably a dependency cycle

[Andrew Burns]

Binary package hint: update-manager

Description: Ubuntu 9.04
Release: 9.04
Kubuntu
Expected smooth upgrade to Karmic
Recieved instead cryptic INstall failed your system could be in an unstable state run dpkg --configure -a

[Andrew Burns (home-a-burns)]

NB: I was able to fix the problem by manually installing the python files.

following some adivce that I ran into on the web

sudo apt-get install python2.5
sudo apt-get install python2.6.4

After doing this a sudo apt-get upgrade completed

I have seen similar reports elsewhere of upgrades failing because of python dependencies not being in place so I suspect that this is a too common event worth fixing.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Could you please add the log files from '/var/log/dist-upgrade/' to this bug report as separate attachments? Thanks in advance.

[Andrew Burns (home-a-burns)]

Attached as requested the log files. Note that, despite my initial optimism
regarding the python fix and the upgrade apparently having worked, I am
having all sorts issues which lead me to beleive that the upgrade is only
partial.

In general terms if I am having problems with many software, but these seem
to resolve if I remove them and then re-install them -- so although my
suggested fix did get around the initial problem I am still having to work
hard to make things as good as they were unfer JJ.

On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 3:46 PM, Jean-Baptiste Lallement <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu
> better. Could you please add the log files from '/var/log/dist-upgrade/'
> to this bug report as separate attachments? Thanks in advance.
>
> ** Changed in: update-manager (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> --
> Update from kubuntu Jaunty Jacalope failed
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/488805
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in “update-manager” package in Ubuntu: Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: update-manager
>
> Description: Ubuntu 9.04
> Release: 9.04
> Kubuntu
> Expected smooth upgrade to Karmic
> Recieved instead cryptic INstall failed your system could be in an unstable
> state run dpkg --configure -a
>

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thank you.

The error is
2009-11-26 10:15:00,635 ERROR Exception during pm.DoInstall()
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/tmp/tmpyBw8KR/DistUpgradeView.py", line 182, in run
    res = pm.DoInstall(self.writefd)
SystemError: E:Couldn't configure pre-depend mysql-server for mythtv-backend-master, probably a dependency cycle.
2009-11-26 10:15:00,638 ERROR SystemError from cache.commit(): installArchives() failed

This is a dependency cycle when dist-upgrading from mysql-server 5.0 to 5.1 . But according to bug 413789 this should have been fixed in update-manager 0.126.1
A dirty workaround if to remove mysql-server before upgrading then reinstall it after the upgrade.

There is enough informations and I'll let the developer handle it from here.

Thanks for your help to make Ubuntu better.