Comment 17 for bug 250909

I'm seeing the bug in Ubuntu 12.04 both with apt-get and on the repo end with apt-ftparchive:

me@server:/$ sudo apt-ftparchive --contents=false generate /path/to/local/config/apt-ftparchive-precise.conf
 /path/to/local/repo/: 18 files 19.8 MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/:
E: Unable to seek ahead 3747275956
E: Errors apply to file '/path/to/local/repo/pool/local/m/matlab/matlab2013a_8.1.0.604_amd64.deb'
 17 files 3,758 MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/:
E: Unable to seek ahead 3747275956
E: Errors apply to file '/path/to/local/repo/pool/local/m/matlab/matlab2013a_8.1.0.604_amd64.deb'
 17 files 3,758 MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 18 files 16.5 MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 16 files 4,244 kB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 16 files 4,244 kB 0s
me@server:/$ apt-ftparchive -v
apt 0.8.16~exp12ubuntu10.15 for amd64 compiled on Oct 3 2013 15:14:39

My apt-ftparchive-precise.conf

Default {
        Packages::Compress ".";
        Contents::Compress ".";
}

Dir {
 ArchiveDir "/path/to/local/repo/";
 OverrideDir "/path/to/local/indices";
 CacheDir "/path/to/local/cache/";
};

TreeDefault {
 Directory "/path/to/local/repo/";
 SrcDirectory "/path/to/local/repo";
 Packages "../repo-output/dists/$(DIST)/$(SECTION)/binary-$(ARCH)/Packages";
 Sources "../repo-output/dists/$(DIST)/$(SECTION)/source/Packages";
 FileList "/path/to/local/flist/$(DIST)-$(ARCH)-$(SECTION).flist.inc";
 BinCacheDB "cache-$(ARCH)-$(DIST)-$(SECTION).db";
};

Tree "precise" {
 Sections "main";
 Architectures "i386 amd64";
 SrcOverride "override.precise.$(SECTION).src";
 BinOverride "override.precise.$(SECTION)";
 ExtraOverride "override.precise.extra.$(SECTION)";
};

Tree "precise-updates" {
 Sections "main";
 Architectures "i386 amd64";
 SrcOverride "override.precise-updates.$(SECTION).src";
 BinOverride "override.precise-updates.$(SECTION)";
 ExtraOverride "override.precise-updates.extra.$(SECTION)";
};

Tree "precise-local" {
 Sections "main";
 Architectures "i386 amd64";
 SrcOverride "override.precise-local.$(SECTION).src";
 BinOverride "override.precise-local.$(SECTION)";
 ExtraOverride "override.precise-local.extra.$(SECTION)";
-----

Strangely, the same apt-ftparchive command on my old repo server running Ubuntu 8.04 has no error with the same 3.7 GB MATLAB package:

me@old-server:/$ sudo apt-ftparchive --contents=false generate /path/to/local/config/apt-ftparchive-precise.conf
 /path/to/local/repo/: 18 files 19.8MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 17 files 3758MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 17 files 3758MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 18 files 16.5MB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 16 files 4244kB 0s
 /path/to/local/repo/: 16 files 4244kB 0s
me@old-server:/$ apt-ftparchive -v
apt 0.7.9ubuntu17.6 for amd64 compiled on Jun 15 2012 15:12:30

I've checked the source from Yaroslav Leonov's and Michael Vogt's patches above, and they're incorporated into 12.04's apt-0.8.16~exp12ubuntu10.15 source.