dpkg in precise incorrectly reports multiarch conffile conflicts

[matrinko]

After reporting an bug.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: libsensors4 1:3.3.1-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-23.36-generic 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-23-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu5
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Apr 24 10:58:53 2012
ErrorMessage: conffile './etc/sensors.d/.placeholder' is not in sync with other instances of the same package
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Beta amd64 (20120421)
SourcePackage: lm-sensors
Title: package libsensors4 1:3.3.1-2ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: conffile './etc/sensors.d/.placeholder' is not in sync with other instances of the same package
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[James Page (james-page)]

Confirmed:

Unpacking libsensors4:i386 (from .../libsensors4_1%3a3.3.1-2ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libsensors4_1%3a3.3.1-2ubuntu1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 conffile './etc/sensors.d/.placeholder' is not in sync with other instances of the same package
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libsensors4_1%3a3.3.1-2ubuntu1_i386.deb

This is a multiarch issue with this package.

[James Page (james-page)]

Unless you really need the i386 version of the package as well I would recommend that you uninstall it for the time being.

Thanks for reporting this bug in Ubuntu.

[Robert John Bowles (bobjohnbowles)]

I think this duplicates a couple of other bugs already in the system. Either way I have added myself as someone affected by it.

[Amorphous (amorphous)]

me too - clean install, apt-get dselect upgrade from an 11.10 install

is there a way round?

[Ion Cebotari (anathemizatu)]

Same problem after clean install, apt-get dselect upgrade from x86_64 Linux Mint Debian Edition

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I think this is a bug in the multiarch implementation in precise's dpkg. The first version of this code that landed in Debian is certainly different and very likely has this bug fixed (though somebody should check that), but that was too late for precise.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I've confirmed that quantal's dpkg does not exhibit this behaviour, so it should be possible to backport a fix from there, albeit with some difficulty as the code has been rearranged a bit.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

The Precise Pangolin has reached end of life, so this bug will not be fixed for that release