Package: dpkg
Version: 1.16.3
Severity: normal
Dear Maintainer,
To use update-alternatives --install <master link> <name> <path> <pri> ..., one
needs an option
in update-alternatives to find the master link if <name> has just one
alternative installed.
This is the symbolic link that points to the /etc/alternatives/<name>
For example, suppose one wants to install a new alternative to 'rename':
jack@berkeley:tmp => ls -lt /etc/alternatives/rename
0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 16 Jan 15 17:04 /etc/alternatives/rename ->
/usr/bin/prename
There is no option in update-alternatives to find the master link that points
to /etc/alternatives/rename:
jack@berkeley:tmp => update-alternatives --config rename
There is only one alternative in link group rename: /usr/bin/prename
Nothing to configure.
jack@berkeley:tmp => update-alternatives --display rename
rename - auto mode
link currently points to /usr/bin/prename
/usr/bin/prename - priority 60
slave rename.1.gz: /usr/share/man/man1/prename.1.gz
Current 'best' version is '/usr/bin/prename'.
The only workaround is to look at the /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives file:
jack@berkeley:tmp => cat /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/rename
auto
/usr/bin/rename <<<<<<<< this is needed for
new install <<<<<<
rename.1.gz
/usr/share/man/man1/rename.1.gz
/usr/bin/prename
60
/usr/share/man/man1/prename.1.gz
jack@berkeley:tmp => ls -lt /usr/bin/rename
0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 Jan 15 17:04 /usr/bin/rename ->
/etc/alternatives/rename*
If update-alternatives is the interface to the alternatives system, it should
provide the all information
needed to install a new alternative in all cases.
This fails if there is exactly one alternative installed but works if multiple
alternatives are installed:
jack@berkeley:tmp => update-alternatives --config java
There are 5 choices for the alternative java (providing /usr/bin/java).
<<<<<<<< this is needed for new install <<<<<<
Selection Path Priority
Status
------------------------------------------------------------
0 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/java 1061
auto mode
1 /usr/bin/gij-4.6 1046
manual mode
2 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/java 1061
manual mode
3 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/bin/java 63
manual mode
4 /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/java 1051
manual mode
* 5 /usr/local/sun-java/jre1.7.0_05/bin/java 64
manual mode
-- System Information:
Debian Release: wheezy/sid
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 3.1.0-1-686-pae (SMP w/6 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Versions of packages dpkg depends on:
ii libbz2-1.0 1.0.6-1
ii libc6 2.13-24
ii libselinux1 2.1.0-4
ii tar 1.26-4
ii xz-utils 5.1.1alpha+20110809-3
ii zlib1g 1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3
dpkg recommends no packages.
Versions of packages dpkg suggests:
ii apt 0.9.6
-- Configuration Files:
/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg changed:
refuse-downgrade
no-debsig
log /var/log/dpkg.log
-- no debconf information
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