Missing dependency for libapache-dbi-perl

[Christophe Vandeplas]

Binary package hint: request-tracker3.8

On Ubuntu 10.10 with the following packages installed
ii request-tracker3.8 3.8.8-4 extensible trouble-ticket tracking system
ii rt3.8-apache2 3.8.8-4 Apache 2 specific files for request-tracker3.8
ii rt3.8-clients 3.8.8-4 mail gateway and command-line interface to request-tracke3.8
ii rt3.8-db-mysql 3.8.8-4 MySQL database backend for request-tracker3.8

Apache fails to start once configured tor request-tracker, the error in the Apache logs is:
[Sun Apr 24 09:18:05 2011] [error] Can't locate Apache/DBI.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/lib /usr/share/request-tracker3.8/lib /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/perl/5.10.1 /usr/local/share/perl/5.10.1 /usr/lib/perl5 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/perl/5.10 /usr/share/perl/5.10 /usr/local/lib/site_perl . /etc/apache2) at (eval 4277) line 3.\n
[Sun Apr 24 09:18:05 2011] [error] Can't load Perl module Apache::DBI for server rtir:0, exiting...

Cause: This error occurs because of the missing Apache::DBI Perl module.

Workaround: Installing libapache-dbi-perl solves the problem.

Solution: libapache-dbi-perl should be added in the dependencies of rt3.8-apache2

[Alex Vandiver (alexmv)]

I just took a quick look at this, and replicated it. However, libapache-dbi-perl _is_ in the dependencies of rt3.8-apache2, but because of the way the dependencies have been phrased, apt decides to install speedy-cgi-perl is a fine stand-in for libapache-dbi-perl, and installs that instead. I don't know enough about phrasing .dep dependencies to know how fixable this is, though.

[Dominic Hargreaves (dom)]

On Fri, Dec 02, 2011 at 06:49:12PM -0000, Alex Vandiver wrote:
> I just took a quick look at this, and replicated it. However,
> libapache-dbi-perl _is_ in the dependencies of rt3.8-apache2, but
> because of the way the dependencies have been phrased, apt decides to
> install speedy-cgi-perl is a fine stand-in for libapache-dbi-perl, and
> installs that instead. I don't know enough about phrasing .dep
> dependencies to know how fixable this is, though.

This change in request-tracker4 should make this sort of thing less
likely:
<http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=pkg-request-tracker/request-tracker4.git;a=commit;h=5dfeee1cd70e83efc5c2176c80a7e0d94faa7533>

I imagine something similar could be done in request-tracker3.8, although
I'm not keen to change this now (this package is firmly in maintenance
mode (see <http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=647126), and it's
not a new problem).

Cheers,
Dominic.

--
Dominic Hargreaves | http://www.larted.org.uk/~dom/
PGP key 5178E2A5 from the.earth.li (keyserver,web,email)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package request-tracker4 - 4.0.4-2

---------------
request-tracker4 (4.0.4-2) unstable; urgency=low

  * Add Recommends on all Apache-related modules; although any one can
    be used to produce a working configuration, installing them all will
    result in less confusion (LP: #769765)
  * Restore database disconnection state after successful safe_run_child;
    fixes problems with mod_perl + PostgreSQL + mod_ssl. Thanks to
    Alex Vandiver (Closes: #632129)

 -- Dominic Hargreaves <email address hidden> Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:05:48 +0000

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

23:00 < infinity> If the mod_perl/dbi-perl method is the preferred one (which it is currently,
                  being at the head of the list), I'd move libapache-dbi-perl to the front of the
                  list and drop mod_perl from there. That probably fixes the general case.
                  Probably still doesn't make it perfect.
23:01 < infinity> Actually, if every one of those ORed lists started with libapache-dbi-perl (and
                  no mod_perl) I think that would express what the packager wanted, yeah.
23:02 < infinity> You'll then end up with either mod_perl/dbi-perl, or one of the other CGI options.
23:02 < infinity> But never mod_perl without dbi-perl, which is what's causing the bug.
23:04 < infinity> I'd recommend the above to the Debian maintainer. And do the same in Ubuntu.
23:04 < infinity> Do, drop the Recommends: line entirely, and on all the "foo | bar" deps, remove
                  mod_perl, and move dbi-perl to the first position.
23:04 < infinity> s/Do/So/
23:05 < infinity> dbi-perl depends on mod_perl, so that gives exactly what you want, IMO.