usrmerge

[billium]

Since the last update to my debian testing I am unable to install
anything or upgrade.

Setting up usrmerge (31) ...

FATAL ERROR:
Both /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 and
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 exist.

I can move the stated file and create a symlink but there are so many
files, it seems endless.

Has anybody got a quick reliable solution?

Thanks
Billy

[Greg Wooledge]

On Sat, Oct 01, 2022 at 11:06:55AM +0100, billium wrote:
> Since the last update to my debian testing I am unable to install anything
> or upgrade.
>
> Setting up usrmerge (31) ...
>
> FATAL ERROR:
> Both /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 and /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
> exist.

How did you arrive in this state? Is /lib already a symlink to /usr/lib
on your system?

> I can move the stated file and create a symlink

DO NOT TRY THAT!

That's libc. If you try to move that in the most naive way imaginable,
your system will break immediately.

If you've already got a fully merged /usr, there is a package you can
install to indicate this (usr-is-merged). Install that, and usrmerge
won't try to set itself up. Or something like that. So I'm told. I'm
not running testing at this time.

If you've got a *partially* merged /usr, then I may not be able to help
you much. You'll need an expert. A good start would be understanding
whatever state you're in and how you got there.

Did a previous apt-get operation try to install usrmerge and fail? Do
you have the original error message? Can you trace through the steps
that usrmerge performs, and undo whichever ones have already been done?
Or, if you're close to completion, complete the remaining steps by hand,
and then install usr-is-merged?

In the worst possible case, you might need to reinstall from scratch.
So, no matter what you try to do at this point, making a full backup
of your important data (/home /etc /usr/local and so on) would be highly
advisable.

[billium]

Thanks for your time Greg

This occurred from updates only no installs for a while.

I did try moving some of the files and sym linking, then rebooting to
check, all worked (inc libc) but got bored doing it after about 30
times. I also tried sym linking /usr/bin and /usr/lib etc but it locked
up then :).

This system is old now repeatedly doing upgrade, dist-upgrade and
full-upgrade through the years. So maybe its time is done ! :( One
mistake, through laziness, I never update the config files, so maybe a
re-install (Sounds Windows-ish) may help.

This is the original text:
aurora:~# apt autoremove
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 604 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.

Setting up usrmerge (31) ...

FATAL ERROR:
Both /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 and
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 exist.

You can try correcting the errors reported and running again
/usr/lib/usrmerge/convert-usrmerge until it will complete without errors.
Do not install or update other Debian packages until the program
has been run successfully.

E: usrmerge failed.
dpkg: error processing package usrmerge (--configure):
installed usrmerge package post-installation script subprocess
returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
usrmerge
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

also:
aurora:~# apt install usr-is-merged
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
usr-is-merged
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 604 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 4,920 B of archives.
After this operation, 12.3 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian testing/main amd64 usr-is-merged
all 31 [4,920 B]
Fetched 4,920 B in 0s (35.6 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package usr-is-merged.
(Reading database ... 493237 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../usr-is-merged_31_all.deb ...


******************************************************************************
*
* The usr-is-merged package cannot be installed because this system does
* not have a merged /usr.
*
* Please install the usrmerge package to convert this system to merged-/usr.
*
* For more information please read https://wiki.debian.org/UsrMerge.
*
******************************************************************************


dpkg: error processing archive
/var/cache/apt/archives/usr-is-merged_31_all.deb (--unpack):
new usr-is-merged package pre-installation script subprocess returned
error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/usr-is-merged_31_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)


Billy

[billium]

Sorry about top posting misplaced cursor

[Michael Biebl]

> On Sat, Oct 01, 2022 at 11:06:55AM +0100, billium wrote:
>> Since the last update to my debian testing I am unable to install anything
>> or upgrade.
>>
>> Setting up usrmerge (31) ...
>>
>> FATAL ERROR:
>> Both /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 and /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
>> exist.
>
> How did you arrive in this state? Is /lib already a symlink to /usr/lib
> on your system?

This is a good question.
billium, if you by any chance have a backup of your system from before
the upgrade, it would be great if you can file a bug report against the
usrmerge package so its maintainers can have a look.

Michael

[billium]

Thanks Michael

/bin, /lib(*) and /sbin are directories not links, sorry I did not make
that clear.

I only backup /etc and /home and some other setting files, even though
it is testing.

This is the first big failure, for me, in the years, though re-install
is not a big issue, which I will do some time later as it all works but
just cannot be updated and no new applications.

I see your point in knowing weather the previous or the failed update
caused the problem would help the maintainer. But all I can state is
that it was between upgrades as no other application installs were made
in this time. I do not know what I can say in a bug report ... may be I
am idiot for keeping it so long since a re-install. I think stretch was
the install, and it is now on bookworm.

Billy

[billium]

On 02/10/2022 18:19, Michael Stone wrote:

> On Sun, Oct 02, 2022 at 06:12:45PM +0100, billium wrote:
>> may be I am idiot for keeping it so long since a re-install.  I think
>> stretch was the install, and it is now on bookworm.
>

> FYI, skipping releases is not supported; in future, go through each
> release in order when upgrading. Whether that was the cause of the
> problem it's impossible to say based on the information available.
>
There was no skipping, I went through all testings from stretch through
buster, bullseye on to bookworm the years.

[Michael Stone]

On Sun, Oct 02, 2022 at 06:12:45PM +0100, billium wrote:

>may be I am idiot for keeping it so long since a re-install. I think
>stretch was the install, and it is now on bookworm.

[Frank]

Op 02-10-2022 om 19:12 schreef billium:

> /bin, /lib(*) and /sbin are directories not links, sorry I did not make
> that clear.

And the corresponding items in /usr? Also directories?

What about /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 and
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6? Both files?

And /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu and /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu? Both directories?

Did you by any chance copy (or move or symlink) individual files before
the usrmerge upgrade?

Regards,
Frank

[billium]

Thanks Frank

/usr/bin /usr/lib* & /usr/sbin are directories


/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu & /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu are directories


/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 are
both files

Before the fault occurred I had made no changes (except apt update
/upgrade).

After the fault, I tried changing the root directory (/lib /bin) files
to sym links but got bored by the time I had done thirty different files.

I undid the above changes, and the system works o.k., just not
upgradeable.

Billy

[Frank]

Op 02-10-2022 om 21:29 schreef billium:

> /usr/bin /usr/lib* & /usr/sbin are directories
>
> /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu & /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu are directories
>
> /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 are
> both files
>
> Before the fault occurred I had made no changes (except apt update
> /upgrade).
>
> After the fault, I tried changing the root directory (/lib /bin) files
> to sym links but got bored by the time I had done thirty different files.

Bad idea anyway. It's not about symlinking individual files. Everything
is moved to the corresponding subdirectories in /usr and the directories
in the root are replaced by symlinks. There are only six of those on my
system (also debian testing).

> I undid the above changes, and the system works o.k., just not upgradeable.

Right. I still don't get how that libc.so.6 file could have ended up in
two places (earlier failed usrmerge? another script? manually after
all?), but in my view there are only two possible ways to fix this: the
clean one (reinstalling) and the messy one (completing the usrmerge
manually).
Be aware that the latter comes with no guarantees whatsoever and will
probably fail massively if you didn't fully restore the above changes
(i.e. left a symlink somewhere).

If you want to go the messy route, I'll need to check a couple of things
first. Can't do that until later today.

Regards,
Frank

[billium]

There was no failed or manual moves. usrmerge may have failed during
previous upgrades and I may not have noticed.

Please do not waste any time on this as no one else has reported errors.
It is not that difficult to install :) .

Thanks again for your time.

Billy

[Frank]

Sent this earlier, but it doesn't show up on the list, so I must have
used 'reply to sender' instead of 'reply to list'... :(

Op 03-10-2022 om 15:30 schreef billium:

> There was no failed or manual moves.  usrmerge may have failed during
> previous upgrades and I may not have noticed.
>
> Please do not waste any time on this as no one else has reported errors.

Actually...

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1426981/unable-to-upgrade-usrmerge-due-to-both-lib-x86-64-linux-gnu-libc-so-6-and-usr

No real answers/solutions there either, though.

>  It is not that difficult to install :) .

True.

> Thanks again for your time.

You're welcome.

Regards,
Frank