Failed to upgrade to 11.04: dpkg: error: parsing file '/var/lib/dpkg/status' near line 14082 package 'kde-plasmoid-cwp': junk after word in `priority' field

I'm affecting to dpkg because even if the bug is with the packaging of kde-plasmoid-cwp, installing this broken package breaks the status database and package management system.

Note that the new dpkg also refuses to install such a package. So it's consistent with itself. But there's room to do better indeed.

I have the same problem

Hello everybody.
I was stuck at the same problem, but got to fix it now.
I just want to tell you what I did, maybe it also works for you.

After the failed upgrade process to 11.04 I was still able to get to the (slight damaged) 10.04 desktop, where I could uninstall the cwp plasmoid using "sudo dpkg -r kde-plasmoid-cwp".
Then I opened "/var/lib/dpkg/status" and "/var/lib/dpkg/available" and was looking for the keyword "kde-plasmoid-cwp". The word after priority is "low" which I changed to "optional".
After that the distribution upgrade using the command "sudo do-release-upgrade" was working as expected and after a reboot everything was just OK.

Just for those who have the same problem. You could also try to edit those two files, but I will take no responsibility :-).

Good luck,
kind regards

I add a update-manager task with a simple workaround. u-m will just remove kde-plasmoid-cwp early to avoid the breakage.

Accepted update-manager into natty-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

SRU verification for Natty:

I have reproduced the problem with update-manager 1:0.150 in natty and however the version of update-manager 1:0.150.2 in -proposed doesn't fixes the issue.
I've installed http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/georg298/xUbuntu_10.10/i386/kde-plasmoid-cwp_1.5.2_i386.deb and verified that it is in the removal list at the beginning of the upgrade.
But the new version of dpkg is installed before kde-plasmoid-cwp is removed and the upgrade fails as before.

Marking as verification-failed

The patch for dpkg is in commit d84b36a81088721b340e52664aa2c3379fea2a9a. I'm attaching it.

This bug was fixed in the package update-manager - 1:0.150.2

---------------
update-manager (1:0.150.2) natty-proposed; urgency=low

  * debian/control:
    - point to "natty" branch
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgrade.cfg:
    - remove "kde-plasmoid-cwp" early as it will break upgrades
      later (LP: #773022)
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeCache.py:
    - do not fail if not all meta-package can not be upgraded, packages
      like ubuntu-desktop and xubuntu-desktop have implicit conflicts
      LP: #775411

update-manager (1:0.150.1) natty-proposed; urgency=low

  [ Brian Murray ]
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeApport.py:
    - do not report zero size attachments (LP: #772052)
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgrade.cfg:
    - enable apport for distribution upgrades (LP: #772913)
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgradeController.py:
    - use service to start apport

  [ Michael Vogt ]
  * DistUpgrade/DistUpgrade.cfg:
    - Remove 'dontzap' from kubuntu-desktops rules (LP: #769680).
      This fixes a upgrade issue when a old package is leftover
 -- Michael Vogt <email address hidden> Mon, 02 May 2011 09:52:35 +0200

Reopening as verification failed and the bug is still present.

You'd better invest the time in preparing the dpkg SRU rather than working around in update-manager.

This bug was fixed in the package dpkg - 1.16.0.3ubuntu1

---------------
dpkg (1.16.0.3ubuntu1) oneiric; urgency=low

  * Merge from Debian unstable; remaining changes:
    - Merge from git://git.debian.org/users/hertzog/dpkg.git
      pu/multiarch/snapshot/20110314 for multiarch support.
    - On upgrade from 1.16.0~ubuntu[1-3], if /var/lib/dpkg/info/$arch is a
      directory, migrate the contents to var/lib/dpkg/info; and handle the
      reverse on downgrade. This does not handle metadata for packages of
      foreign architectures.
  * Restores support for parsing priority fields with unknown values.
    LP: #773022.
 -- Steve Langasek <email address hidden> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:04:19 -0700

Invalidating the update-manager tasks; this can, should, and is be fixed in dpkg.

Approve, please accept into natty-proposed.

Accepted dpkg into natty-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

This bug was fixed in the package dpkg - 1.16.0~ubuntu7.1

---------------
dpkg (1.16.0~ubuntu7.1) natty-proposed; urgency=low

  * src/packages.c: fix use of --force-depends so that it works again for
    foreign arch packages. Thanks to Raphaël Hertzog for the fix.
    LP: #767634.
  * regenerate lib/dpkg/trigdeferred.c from lib/dpkg/trigdeferred.l in
    the source, to ensure we don't end up with breakage from an out-of-date
    intermediate file as happened in oneiric.

  [ Guillem Jover ]
  * d84b36a81088721b340e52664aa2c3379fea2a9a: be less strict in the face of
    unknown Priority: fields in /var/lib/dpkg/status, so dpkg doesn't fail
    to run on systems whose contents were previously permitted.
    LP: #773022.
 -- Steve Langasek <email address hidden> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:49:46 -0500