python module lxc failed to import on ARM with: UnicodeDecodeError: 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xb5 in position 0: invalid start byte

My first guess was some utf-8 problems with the python module "lxc", but it actually looks like it's the binary module that's the problem:

root@delmak:~# python3 -c "import _lxc"
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
UnicodeDecodeError: 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xb5 in position 0: invalid start byte

I'm currently going on the assumption that we simply got a corrupted binary out of the armhf buildd. I'm doing a local rebuild to confirm and if that's the case, will simply push a no-change rebuild.

This assumption is based on the fact that the same python module works on other architectures and that the binding only got very slightly changed between ~alpha3 (working on armhf) and ~rc1 (not working on armhf) with those changes limited to the Container object and not to the import functions.

BTW if you don't have a board to reproduce this issue, it is also reproducible in an armhf container created with:
$ sudo lxc-create -n raring-arm -t ubuntu -- -r raring -a armhf

then install python3-lxc into this container

Reproducing was easy, understanding the problem wasn't ;)

Anyway, I figured it out and sent a patch upstream for inclusion in the final 0.9.
Once it's accepted upstream (hopefully in a few minutes), I'll push it to Ubuntu.

This bug was fixed in the package lxc - 0.9.0~rc1-0ubuntu2

---------------
lxc (0.9.0~rc1-0ubuntu2) raring; urgency=low

  * Fix python3-lxc on armhf (LP: #1159817).
 -- Stephane Graber <email address hidden> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:21:46 -0400