dselect has an error in the "Provides: <package>" multiarch case

[Michael Neuffer]

When a package like libcms1 that has a Provides: field is installed for more then one architecture
the resulting conflict is not resolved by internally distinguishing between the (two) architectures.

Instead dselect tries to uninstall one of the two packages. This is not the correct solution.

apt-get upgrade doesn't show this behaviour and handles this situation correctly.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: dselect 1.16.0.3ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-11.18-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-11-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Sep 19 08:40:08 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Beta amd64+mac (20110901)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: dpkg
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Raphaël Hertzog (hertzog)]

I guess you're referring to liblcms1 (and not libcms1 which doesn't exist). That packages indeed has a Provides/Conflicts/Replaces on a virtual package liblcms.

[Raphaël Hertzog (hertzog)]

This patch seems to fix the problem for me. I have integrated it in my pu/multiarch/full branch so it will land in dpkg upstream with the rest of the multiarch branch.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "Patch to let dselect ignore conflict via a virtual package between 2 instances of the same package" of this bug report has been identified as being a patch. The ubuntu-reviewers team has been subscribed to the bug report so that they can review the patch. In the event that this is in fact not a patch you can resolve this situation by removing the tag 'patch' from the bug report and editing the attachment so that it is not flagged as a patch. Additionally, if you are member of the ubuntu-sponsors please also unsubscribe the team from this bug report.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by Brian Murray. Please contact him regarding any issues with the action taken in this bug report.]

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

We should fix this for 12.04, but there's probably no hurry to fix it right now; will wait and see if we get this in dpkg trunk before precise releases and otherwise we can cherry pick.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package dpkg - 1.16.1.2ubuntu7

---------------
dpkg (1.16.1.2ubuntu7) precise; urgency=low

  * Apply missing patch from upstream to let dselect's resolver deal
    with multi-arch Provides in the same way as dpkg (LP: #853679)
 -- Adam Conrad <email address hidden> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:59:09 -0600