Public bug reported:
In the old days, man pages were stored under /usr/man. Now, they are
stored under /usr/share/man. Ubuntu systems no longer have a /usr/man,
so all our really old scripts and reflexes that look under /usr/man fail
unless you think to add the helpful symlink "ln -s share/man /usr/man".
But making that helpful symlink breaks "apropos" and "man -k" because
in /etc/manpath.config are these two different locations for the "mandb"
index database:
MANDB_MAP /usr/man /var/cache/man/fsstnd
MANDB_MAP /usr/share/man /var/cache/man
If you add the symlink for /usr/man, then the index.db file created
by "mandb" ends up under a sub-directory /var/cache/man/fsstnd where
"apropos" and "man -k" can't find it.
Of course you can add another helpful symlink "ln -s fsstnd/index.db
/var/cache/index.db" to work-around the "apropos" problem, or you can
set your "MANPATH=/usr/man", but surely it doesn't need to be a problem
in the first place.
1. Please make "apropos" and "man -k" smarter. Either they could look
in both /var/cache/man and /var/cache/man/fsstnd, or else "mandb" could
resolve the symlink /usr/man to its absolute version /usr/share/man before
looking it up in the manpath.config file and thus not create the unhelpful
"/fsstnd" sub-directory that breaks "apropos".
2. The man page for "mandb" and the manpath.config file make no
mention of the reason for the extra "/fsstnd" sub-directory. The
manpath.config file says the "FHS compliant" index.db location should
be /var/cache/man/index.db and the "FSSTND compliant" location is under
/var/catman Either remove the mysterious "/fsstnd" or explain it.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: man-db 2.9.1-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.8.0-63.71~20.04.1-generic 5.8.18
Uname: Linux 5.8.0-63-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
Date: Mon Aug 30 04:37:46 2021
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-10-07 (326 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Lubuntu 20.04.1 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200731)
SourcePackage: man-db
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
** Affects: man-db (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug focal third-party-packages
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1942063
Title:
/usr/man symlink breaks apropos man -k due to fsstnd
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