dangling symlink: /usr/lib/jvm/java-*-openjdk-amd64/src.zip

[Laurent Bonnaud]

Hi,

this is a dangling symlink:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 sept. 30 02:37 /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/src.zip -> ../openjdk-8/src.zip

when the openjdk-8-source package is not installed. The symlink should probably be moved to this other package.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: openjdk-8-jdk-headless 8u144-b01-2
Uname: Linux 4.13.6-041306-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Fri Oct 13 14:18:22 2017
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
SourcePackage: openjdk-8
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to artful on 2017-09-29 (14 days ago)

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

The same bug exists in OpenJDK-11 in disco:

$ ls -l /usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 04-02 16:42 /usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/src.zip -> ../openjdk-11/src.zip

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

A similar bug still exists in hirsute:

$ ls -l /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-11/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 Mar 18 10:05 /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-11/src.zip -> lib/src.zip

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[sokai (sokai)]

+1

Please move the link creation step to the "openjdk-8-source" package.
On my machine no "openjdk-8-source" is installed but the link is present ...

Here is some terminal explanation.

----- 8< -----
me@my-machine:~# ls -lha /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 Nov 3 14:54 /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/src.zip -> ../openjdk-8/src.zip
me@my-machine:~# ls -lha /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/../openjdk-8/src.zip
ls: cannot access '/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/../openjdk-8/src.zip': No such file or directory
me@my-machine:~# aptitude search openjdk-8
p openjdk-8-dbg - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (debugging symbols)
p openjdk-8-dbg:i386 - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (debugging symbols)
p openjdk-8-demo - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (demos and examples)
p openjdk-8-demo:i386 - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (demos and examples)
p openjdk-8-doc - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) documentation
p openjdk-8-jdk - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK)
p openjdk-8-jdk:i386 - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK)
i openjdk-8-jdk-headless - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) (headless)
p openjdk-8-jdk-headless:i386 - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT
p openjdk-8-jre:i386 - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT
i openjdk-8-jre-headless - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre-headless:i386 - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre-zero - Alternative JVM for OpenJDK, using Zero/Shark
p openjdk-8-jre-zero:i386 - Alternative JVM for OpenJDK, using Zero/Shark
p openjdk-8-source - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) source files
----- 8< -----

Thanks for fixing and KR!

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

The bug still exists in lunar:

$ symlinks /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/
dangling: /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/src.zip -> lib/src.zip

[Pushkar Kulkarni (pushkarnk)]

The src.zip is a source package of the Java API classes. As it was pointed out in a comment above, the "src.zip" symbolic link created by the -jdk and-jdk-headless packages links to a .zip file which is actually installed by the corresponding -source package.

This kind of a dependency between packages is best represented by the "Suggests" relationship. It neither fits into the definition of "Depends", nor into the definition of "Recommends". See [1].

--------------------START OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ---------------------------------
$apt-rdepends -s Suggests openjdk-8-jdk | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-8-jdk
  Suggests: openjdk-8-demo
  Suggests: openjdk-8-source
  Suggests: visualvm

$ apt-rdepends -s Suggests openjdk-17-jdk | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-17-jdk
  Suggests: openjdk-17-demo
  Suggests: openjdk-17-source
  Suggests: visualvm

---------------------END OF TERMINAL OUTPUT --------------------------

Given the -jdk packages "Suggest" the corresponding -source packages, using apt's '--install-suggests' option is one of the ways to avoid this dangling symbolic link (possibly at the cost of having many unnecessary packages installed).

[1] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/dreq.en.html#control

[Pushkar Kulkarni (pushkarnk)]

However, after realizing that the -source packages "Depend" on the -jdk packages, the suggestion in comment #6 starts sounding good to me.

------------ START OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ---------------------
$ apt-rdepends openjdk-8-source | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-8-source
  Depends: openjdk-8-jdk (>= 8u372-ga~us1-0ubuntu1~23.04)
  Depends: openjdk-8-jre (>= 8u372-ga~us1-0ubuntu1~23.04)

------------ END OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ----------------------

[Matthias Klose (doko)]

moving that to the source package means, that you have these symlinks for *all* architectures in the source package. Is this really worth it?

[Pushkar Kulkarni (pushkarnk)]

An implementation based on File triggers is feasible, but it might be perceived as an overkill given this problem is not actually a functional bug.

[Laurent Bonnaud (laurent-bonnaud)]

The bug is still there in Ubuntu 23.10/mantic:

$ symlinks /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/
dangling: /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/src.zip -> lib/src.zip

[Thorsten Glaser (mirabilos)]

openjdk-8-source is in Suggests for openjdk-8-jdk-headless, so the dangling symlink is not an actual bug.