[ovs-dev] Bug#636816: ovsdbmonitor and openvswitch-switch: error when trying to install together

[Ralf Treinen]

Package: openvswitch-switch,ovsdbmonitor
Version: openvswitch-switch/1.2.0-1
Version: ovsdbmonitor/1.2.0-1
Severity: serious
User: treinen at debian.org
Usertags: edos-file-overwrite

Date: 2011-08-06
Architecture: amd64
Distribution: sid

Hi,

automatic installation tests of packages that share a file and at the
same time do not conflict by their package dependency relationships has
detected the following problem:


WARNING: The following packages cannot be authenticated!
  multiarch-support libdb4.8 mime-support python2.6-minimal libexpat1
  python2.6 python-minimal python python-support openssl uuid-runtime
  openvswitch-common openvswitch-switch python-openvswitch ovsdbmonitor
Authentication warning overridden.
Can not write log, openpty() failed (/dev/pts not mounted?)
Selecting previously deselected package multiarch-support.
(Reading database ... 9212 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking multiarch-support (from .../multiarch-support_2.13-14_amd64.deb) ...
Can not write log, openpty() failed (/dev/pts not mounted?)
Setting up multiarch-support (2.13-14) ...
Can not write log, openpty() failed (/dev/pts not mounted?)
Selecting previously deselected package libdb4.8.
(Reading database ... 9216 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking libdb4.8 (from .../libdb4.8_4.8.30-9_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package mime-support.
Unpacking mime-support (from .../mime-support_3.51-1_all.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python2.6-minimal.
Unpacking python2.6-minimal (from .../python2.6-minimal_2.6.7-4_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libexpat1.
Unpacking libexpat1 (from .../libexpat1_2.0.1-7_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python2.6.
Unpacking python2.6 (from .../python2.6_2.6.7-4_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python-minimal.
Unpacking python-minimal (from .../python-minimal_2.6.7-2_all.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python.
Unpacking python (from .../python_2.6.7-2_all.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python-support.
Unpacking python-support (from .../python-support_1.0.14_all.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package openssl.
Unpacking openssl (from .../openssl_1.0.0d-3_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package uuid-runtime.
Unpacking uuid-runtime (from .../uuid-runtime_2.19.1-5_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package openvswitch-common.
Unpacking openvswitch-common (from .../openvswitch-common_1.2.0-1_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package openvswitch-switch.
Unpacking openvswitch-switch (from .../openvswitch-switch_1.2.0-1_amd64.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package python-openvswitch.
Unpacking python-openvswitch (from .../python-openvswitch_1.2.0-1_all.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package ovsdbmonitor.
Unpacking ovsdbmonitor (from .../ovsdbmonitor_1.2.0-1_all.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/ovsdbmonitor_1.2.0-1_all.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/share/openvswitch/vswitch.ovsschema', which is also in package openvswitch-switch 1.2.0-1
configured to not write apport reports
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/ovsdbmonitor_1.2.0-1_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)


This is a serious bug as it makes installation fail, and violates
sections 7.6.1 and 10.1 of the policy. An optimal solution would
consist in only one of the packages installing that file, and renaming
or removing the file in the other package. Depending on the
circumstances you might also consider Replace relations or file
diversions. If the conflicting situation cannot be resolved then, as a
last resort, the two packages have to declare a mutual
Conflict. Please take into account that Replaces, Conflicts and
diversions should only be used when packages provide different
implementations for the same functionality.

Here is a list of files that are known to be shared by both packages
(according to the Contents file for sid/amd64, which may be
slightly out of sync):

  /usr/share/openvswitch/scripts/ovs-ctl
  /usr/share/openvswitch/scripts/ovs-lib.sh
  /usr/share/openvswitch/scripts/ovs-save
  /usr/share/openvswitch/vswitch.ovsschema

This bug is assigned to both packages. If you, the maintainers of
the two packages in question, have agreed on which of the packages will
resolve the problem please reassign the bug to that package. You may
also register in the BTS that the other package is affected by the bug.

-Ralf.

PS: for more information about the detection of file overwrite errors
of this kind see http://edos.debian.net/file-overwrites/.