vmware-view-client:i386 is shown in software-center on amd64, but is uninstallable

[Evan Broder]

I can find and attempt to install vmware-view-client from partner on my amd64 oneiric machine, but it's uninstallable:

evan@caron:~$ sudo apt-get install vmware-view-client
[sudo] password for evan:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 vmware-view-client:i386 : Depends: libpcsclite1:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libssl0.9.8:i386 (>= 0.9.8m-1) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxml2:i386 (>= 2.6.27) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxtst6:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: zenity:i386 but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: software-center 5.0.3.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CheckboxSubmission: d27dbc9ce66475289526ca4b283ec487
CheckboxSystem: bb422ca46d02494cdbc459927a98bc2f
Date: Tue Dec 20 14:06:52 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: software-center
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-09-18 (93 days ago)

[Joseph Kane (j-kane-third)]

I'm getting the same thing in Ubuntu 11.10 64bit

The following packages have unmet dependencies:

vmware-view-client:i386: Depends: libatk1.0-0 (>= 1.12.4) but 2.2.0-0ubuntu1 is to be installed
                         Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3.6-6~) but 2.13-20ubuntu5 is to be installed
                         Depends: libgcc1 (>= 1:4.1.1) but 1:4.6.1-9ubuntu3 is to be installed
                         Depends: libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 (>= 2.22.0) but 2.24.0-1ubuntu1 is to be installed
                         Depends: libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.22.0) but 2.30.0-0ubuntu4 is to be installed
                         Depends: libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.18.0) but 2.24.6-0ubuntu5 is to be installed
                         Depends: libpango1.0-0 (>= 1.14.0) but 1.29.3+git20110916-0ubuntu1 is to be installed
                         Depends: libstdc++6 (>= 4.1.1) but 4.6.1-9ubuntu3 is to be installed
                         Depends: libxi6 (>= 2:1.1.2) but 2:1.4.3-3ubuntu1 is to be installed
                         Depends: libxml2 (>= 2.6.27) but 2.7.8.dfsg-4 is to be installed
                         Depends: libxrandr2 (>= 2:1.2.0) but 2:1.3.2-2 is to be installed
                         Depends: zlib1g (>= 1:1.1.4) but 1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3ubuntu3 is to be installed

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Peeter P. Mõtsküla (ppmotskula)]

Sort-of temporary workaround: vmware-view-client works in 32-bit chroot. I made a setup script for those who'd like to try it out: https://gist.github.com/1674646

[selinuxium (selinuxium)]

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
 vmware-view-client:i386 : Depends: libpcsclite1:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxml2:i386 (>= 2.6.27) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxtst6:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: zenity:i386 but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Same here.

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

There's still some multi-arch work required (in precise, looks like just libpcsclite1 and zenity) to make this cross-installable, but that's fairly low priority, as multi-arching libpcsclite1 means testing all the rdeps. We'll get to this at some point, though possibly not for precise.

[Evan Broder (broder)]

FYI, I looked into multiarching libpcsclite1 when I originally opened this bug, and concluded that it probably couldn't easily be multiarched. Because the protocol headers consist of shoving integers into structs, it's not going to be endianness-agnostic.

[Fred (frederic-lespez)]

I have turned the i386 package into an amd64 one following the initial work done by the person behind this blog : http://blog.mbentley.net/2012/02/linux-vmware-view-5-client-debs-for-i386-amd64-ubuntu-and-debian/

It turns out that by slightly modifying the control file of the i386 version (changing the Architecture parameters from i386 to amd64 and adding ia32libs in Depends) was sufficient to make an amd64 package that is installable (and working !) on Oneiric and Precise (amd64 versions of course).

I known this a hack (I have not a sufficient knowlege in packaging to do something clean), but I hope i will help.

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

vmware-view-client should now be installable on amd64 in precise

[Leslie (leslie-araitanga)]

I am having a similar problem on Raring 13.04 as the vmware-view-client requires libudev0 which is no longer shipped with Ubuntu.

[Leslie (leslie-araitanga)]

Turns out I can't edit comments! Sorry, this is the terminal output:
leslie@fridge:~$ sudo apt-get install vmware-view-client
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 vmware-view-client:i386 : Depends: libudev0:i386 (>= 147) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

BUT I ended up finding a link to a copy of libudev0 someone compiled for amd64 but even installing that I get the same message.

[Bill Winkle (winklebe)]

I'm having the exact same problem as Leslie reported.
Raring 13.04 amd64 on Dell Optiplex 7010

$ sudo apt-get install vmware-view-client
[sudo] password for xxxxxxxxxx:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 vmware-view-client:i386 : Depends: libudev0:i386 (>= 147) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Tried

 $ sudo apt-get install libudev0:i386
[sudo] password for xxxxxxxx:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Package libudev0:i386 is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

E: Package 'libudev0:i386' has no installation candidate

Ran $ sudo apt-get upgrade
re-tried install same problem

[Dan Genin (daniel-genin)]

Ditto. I am running Ubuntu 13.04 amd64.

$ sudo apt-get install vmware-view-client
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 vmware-view-client:i386 : Depends: libcairo2:i386 (>= 1.2.4) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libgtk2.0-0:i386 (>= 2.24.0) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libpango1.0-0:i386 (>= 1.14.0) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxcursor1:i386 (> 1.1.2) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxext6:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxfixes3:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxi6:i386 (>= 2:1.1.2) but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxinerama1:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxrender1:i386 but it is not going to be installed
                           Depends: libxtst6:i386 but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

Notice that libudev0:i386 is not the issue here. I have it installed.