hey folks,

i recently made a fake package for libc6, as i had installed it manually. This meant that debian complained about dependency problems when installing anything that needed libc6, hence the fake package.

Anywho! using equivs i created a package for libc6 (i've pasted the file that i used to make it below), and built the debian package.

When i installed it, it came up with the following error messages:

---
/usr/src# dpkg -i libc6_2.3.2.ds1-21_i386.deb
(Reading database ... 85123 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6 2.3.2.ds1-21 (using libc6_2.3.2.ds1-21_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement libc6 ...
dpkg: warning - unable to delete old file `/sys': Device or resource busy
dpkg (subprocess): failed to exec rm for cleanup: No such file or directory
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess rm cleanup returned error exit status 2
Setting up libc6 (2.3.2.ds1-21) ...
---

and now the machine complains that every program i try to run doesn't exist. For example:

---
:/# ls
bash: /bin/ls: No such file or directory
---

i've checked it, and /bin/ls does exist! looks pretty normal... but won't work. The same applies to any number of programs i care to run (apt-get etc...)

My first thought was that $PATH had changed somehow.. but no... path is the same as normal :

---
/# echo $PATH
/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin
---

Anywho could anyone explain why this dummy package has destroyed my system?

Here's the libc6-dummy package i tried to make with the equivs thingiemabob.

---
Section: misc
Priority: optional
Standards-Version: 3.5.10

Package: libc6
Version: 2.3.2.ds1-21
Maintainer: Bob bob
Pre-Depends:
Depends:
Recommends:
Suggests:
Provides: libc6
Architecture: i386
Copyright:
Changelog:
Readme:
Extra-Files:
Description:
long description and info
.
second paragraph
---

any help in this would be excellent - i have just perfected my mythtv setup and will be rather cheesed off if i've destroyed it now!

Thanks!

Dan

A guru like you creating fake debian package could be able to solve it :-). i would do a new installation. i remember messing up libc6 on debian few years ago and what i did was a new install.

Umm doesnt Debian already have the fake pakage for libc6 in its repository?
Maybe its just something that Kano did with kanotix.

lol thanks for the replies. Got bored of waiting with a dead box lol. Googled it for about 6 hours before giving up all hope, have now re installed it! and if i'm that much of a guru i wouldn't have messed it up in the first place i'm sure one day i'll look back on this and think 'ah, yes!' but alas today, i'll have to give up!

Anywho! thanks for the help

Dan