strange behavior of the "module-assistant --prepare" command

[lucatrv]

Binary package hint: module-assistant

On Ubuntu Intrepid, I use module-assistant to build and install the open-vm-source modules.
I noticed a strange behavior of the "module-assistant --prepare" command.

Starting from the point where no /usr/src/linux symlink is present in my system, the first time I issue the command "sudo module-assistant prepare open-vm" everything goes well, so that a /usr/src/linux symlink is created pointing to the correct linux headers folder and no error messages are issued.
This is the output of the command:
----------------------------------------------
Getting source for kernel version: 2.6.27-7-generic
Kernel headers available in /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-7-generic
Creating symlink...
apt-get install build-essential
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
build-essential is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Done!
----------------------------------------------

If I issue the command "sudo module-assistant prepare open-vm" a second time, so that the /usr/src/linux symlink is already present on my system, it seams that module-assistant doesn't recognize it. In fact it issues the following error message:
----------------------------------------------
Getting source for kernel version: 2.6.27-7-generic
Kernel headers available in /usr/src/linux
Creating symlink...
Couldn't create the /usr/src/linux symlink!
apt-get install build-essential
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
build-essential is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Done!
----------------------------------------------
The result is that module-assistant has renamed my old good /usr/src/linux symlink into linux-OLDVERSION.xxxxxxxxxx and I don't have a /usr/src/linux symlink on my system anymore.

Now, of course if I issue again "sudo module-assistant prepare open-vm" I get no error messages and a new /usr/src/linux symlink, and everything repeats always this way indefinitely...

[Zack Evans (zevans23)]

I think I have a different manifestation of the same bug.

"m-a prepare" seems to create a linux-OLDVERSION link OK, eg "linux-OLDVERSION.1268317026.1268317026" but it DOESN'T create the /usr/src/linux link.

If I run "m-a a-i iscsitarget" I will instead get the
"Creating symlink...
Couldn't create the /usr/src/linux symlink!"
behaviour described in the previous post above.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Shane Scott (arrantsymmetry)]

Trusty Tahr 14.04
03/18/15 bug still present in build.
#3 years later, clearly not a priority lol.