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To: clameter@debian.org, submit@bugs.debian.org
Subject: dpkg: Packages with epochs make old Debian installations not upgradable
Message-Id: <E0w9Hab-0005Uq-00@waterf.org>
From: Christoph Lameter <clameter@waterf.org>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 13:47:17 -0800

Package: dpkg
Version: 1.2.11elf

After updating the available database dpkg always fails with the following message:

# dpkg -s dpkg
dpkg: parse error, in file /var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 22301 package
'sharutils':
 empty value for version

sharutils is a package using epochs for the version number.

I tried to:

1. Install a new dpkg using dpkg -> same error message

2. Got dpkg-nondebbin from experimental and unpacked it in the /root
directory. Then tried to execute /root/usr/bin/dpkg. Result:

# /root/usr/bin/dpkg -s dpkg
./dpkg: can't resolve symbol 'sysinfo'

How will a debian 1.1 system be upgradable to the next release?