Comment 2 for bug 86536

The problem still exists in hardy. Let me elaborate on a test case that
should produce results to identify the problem.

Consider the following modification of the Hardy debootstrap script (it's
a little unrealistic, but it's done this way to make the problem obvious)

The important things to note:
1) We are only pulling down Essential packages which do not include any
variant of awk.
2) base-files will be the first package installed that has a listed awk
dependency in its Depends line.
3) no version of awk is resolved by the dependency resolver in debootstrap
so no version of awk is downloaded. This causes base-files to be the
first package to fail to install.

Note that this problem appears to blanket all virtual packages. The
resolver simply can't find viable install candidates for these packages.

Let me know if I can be of any other assistance.

Eugene

----------

--- /usr/share/debootstrap/scripts/hardy 2008-01-15
04:48:17.000000000 -0800
+++ ./hardy 2008-08-20 09:09:23.000000000 -0700
@@ -16,20 +16,8 @@
 fi

 work_out_debs () {
- LIBC6=libc6
- if [ "$ARCH" = "alpha" ] || [ "$ARCH" = "ia64" ]; then
LIBC6="libc6.1"; fi
-
- required="$(get_debs Priority: required)"
-
- if doing_variant -; then
- #required="$required $(get_debs Priority: important)"
- # ^^ should be getting debconf here somehow maybe
- base="$(get_debs Priority: important)"
- elif doing_variant buildd; then
- base="$(get_debs Build-Essential: yes)"
- elif doing_variant fakechroot || doing_variant minbase; then
- base="apt"
- fi
+ required="$(get_debs Essential: yes)"
+ base=
 }

 first_stage_install () {
@@ -114,14 +102,14 @@
     fi

     p; progress $baseprog $bases INSTCORE "Installing core packages" #4
- x_core_install $LIBC6
+ x_core_install libc6

     p; progress $baseprog $bases INSTCORE "Installing core packages" #5
     x_core_install perl-base

     p; progress $baseprog $bases INSTCORE "Installing core packages" #6
     rm "$TARGET/usr/bin/awk"
- x_core_install mawk
+ #x_core_install mawk

     p; progress $baseprog $bases INSTCORE "Installing core packages" #7
     if doing_variant -; then
@@ -164,10 +152,10 @@

     info UNPACKBASE "Unpacking the base system..."

- smallyes '' |
- (repeat 5 in_target_failmsg INST_BASE_FAIL_FIVE "Failure while
installing base packages. This will be re-attempted up to five times." ""
\
- dpkg --status-fd 8 --force-overwrite --force-confold
--skip-same-version --unpack $(debfor $base) 8>&1 1>&7 |
- dpkg_progress $baseprog $bases UNPACKBASE "Unpacking base system"
UNPACKING) 7>&1
+# smallyes '' |
+# (repeat 5 in_target_failmsg INST_BASE_FAIL_FIVE "Failure while
installing base packages. This will be re-attempted up to five times." ""
\
+# dpkg --status-fd 8 --force-overwrite --force-confold
--skip-same-version --unpack $(debfor $base) 8>&1 1>&7 |
+# dpkg_progress $baseprog $bases UNPACKBASE "Unpacking base system"
UNPACKING) 7>&1

     info CONFBASE "Configuring the base system..."