/usr/bin/locale missing during upgrade

I saw that error as well, but since debconf also triggers at postinst time again, I deemed it non-fatal.

However, if this is considered a potential trap, then dropping the Conflicts: would work as well (and just keep the Replaces:). I just added the Conflicts: so that belocs-locales-bin would be cleaned up during upgrade, since we don't want to support/use it any more.

OTOH, the new libc6 already Conflicts: to belocs-locales-bin, so we don't need to repeat it again in locales.

This bug was fixed in the package langpack-locales - 2.9+cvs20090214-4

---------------
langpack-locales (2.9+cvs20090214-4) jaunty; urgency=low

  * Drop Conflicts: to belocs-locales-bin, just keep the Replaces:.
    libc6 already conflicts to it and thus will cause it to be cleaned
    up on upgrades. This narrows the time when /usr/bin/locale does
    not exist. (LP: #330048)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:18:57 +0100

Upgrading from Intrepid to Jaunty. Still have the same issue:

(Reading database ... 126069 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace locales 2.7.9-5 (using .../locales_2.9+cvs20090214-7_all.deb) ...
Removing obsolete conffile /etc/belocs/iso-639.def ...
Unpacking replacement locales ... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Replacing files in old package belocs-locales-bin ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
(Reading database ... 126078 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing belocs-locales-bin ... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Processing triggers for man-db ...
(Reading database ... 126061 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6 2.8~20080505-0ubuntu9 (using .../libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb) ...
Can't exec "locale": No such file or directory at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 16. <<<<<<<<<<<
Use of uninitialized value $Debconf::Encoding::charmap in scalar chomp at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 17.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Reopening then, will investigate.

I just did an intrepid->jaunty upgrade, and I noticed that "Can't exec "locale" error in libc6's preinst as well, but the upgrade just went on, and libc6 was correctly updated. It seems this depends on a particular unpack order, so I need to play with this harder.

Neil, how did you do the upgrade, with update-manager or apt-get, or aptitude? If you used update-manager, can you please attach the logs in /var/log/dist-upgrader/ ?

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 10:07:30AM -0000, Martin Pitt said:
> I just did an intrepid->jaunty upgrade, and I noticed that "Can't exec
> "locale" error in libc6's preinst as well, but the upgrade just went on,
> and libc6 was correctly updated. It seems this depends on a particular
> unpack order, so I need to play with this harder.
>
> Neil, how did you do the upgrade, with update-manager or apt-get, or
> aptitude? If you used update-manager, can you please attach the logs in
> /var/log/dist-upgrader/ ?

I used apt-get dist-upgrade which failed. I consequently used
update-manager which also failed.

term.log reads:

(Reading database ... 126069 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace locales 2.7.9-5 (using
.../locales_2.9+cvs20090214-7_all.deb) ...
Removing obsolete conffile /etc/belocs/iso-639.def ...
Unpacking replacement locales ...
Replacing files in old package belocs-locales-bin ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
(Reading database ...
(Reading database ... 126078 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing belocs-locales-bin ...
(Reading database ...
(Reading database ... 126061 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6 2.8~20080505-0ubuntu9 (using
.../libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb) ...
Can't exec "locale": No such file or directory at
/usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 16.
Use of uninitialized value $Debconf::Encoding::charmap in scalar chomp
at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 17.
rocess: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing
/var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb
dpkg: error processing libc6 (--configure):
 package libc6 is already installed and configured
 libc6
386.deb) ...
dpkg: regarding .../libc6-i686_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb containing
libc6-i686, pre-dependency problem:
 libc6-i686 pre-depends on libc6 (= 2.9-4ubuntu3)
  libc6 is installed, but is version 2.8~20080505-0ubuntu9.
dpkg: error processing
/var/cache/apt/archives/libc6-i686_2.9-4ubuntu3_i386.deb (--unpack):
 pre-dependency problem - not installing libc6-i686

I've just tried aptitude however and the upgrade is working now.

N

This bug was fixed in the package glibc - 2.9-4ubuntu6

---------------
glibc (2.9-4ubuntu6) jaunty; urgency=low

  * sysdeps/depflags.pl: Drop Conflicts: belocs-locales-bin, just keep the
    Replaces:. Not having "locale" available during some points in the upgrade
    can break the upgrade entirely. This will stop belocs-locales-bin from
    being properly removed during upgrade, but we can still add a Conflicts:
    to it to the next LTS version. All of its useful files get overridden
    anyway. (LP: #330048)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:53:01 -0700