Bug#1057122: initscripts has an undeclared file conflict on /usr/lib/udev/hwclock-set

[Helmut Grohne]

Hi Mark,

On Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 08:22:33PM +0000, Mark Hindley wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 10:27:41AM +0100, Helmut Grohne wrote:
> > Package: initscripts
> > Version: 3.08-3~bpo12+1
> > Severity: serious
> > User: debian-qa at lists.debian.org
> > Usertags: fileconflict
> > Control: affects -1 + util-linux
> > Tags: bookworm
> > 
> > initscripts has an undeclared file conflict. This may result in an
> > unpack error from dpkg.
> > 
> > The file /usr/lib/udev/hwclock-set is contained in the packages
> >  * initscripts/3.08-3~bpo12+1 as present in bookworm-backports
> >  * util-linux/2.36.1-8+deb11u1 as present in bullseye|bullseye-security
> 
> Are the suites and versions reported here really the problematic ones?

Given that this is fully automated and working since a while, I'd doubt
myself more than the algorithm now. :) Looking deeper the following
binary packages contain that file:

util-linux_2.36.1-8+deb11u1
util-linux-extra_2.38.1-5+b1
initscripts_3.08-3
initscripts_3.08-3~bpo12+1
initscripts_3.08-4


> I agree there is a conflict, but I think it is between
> initscripts/3.08-3~bpo12+1 in bookworm-backports and util-linux-extra/2.38.1-5
> in bookworm.

The initscripts backport declares Breaks+Replaces for util-linux-extra
from bookworm. While they both contain the same file this conflict is
declared in the packaging. From a dumat pov, this is not a problem,
because it is correctly declared.

> My proposed fix is attached. It reverts the transition of the hwclock machinery
> to initscripts, since this is still present in bookworm src:util-linux.

The reason you are suggesting util-linux-extra probably is that
initscripts from backports is no longer coinstallable with
util-linux-extra from bookworm. That's certainly suboptimal and the way
you address this coinstallability issue by reverting the transition
seems sane to me.

> Or, have I misunderstood?

In reverting the transition for bookworm-backports, you not only make it
coinstallable with util-linux-extra from bookworm again. You also
resolve the undeclared conflict with util-linux from bullseye. Thanks
for having looked beyond the reported problem and come up with a better
solution.

Helmut