Steve I'm sorry but I cannot reproduce this. I have verified this countless of times during working on this and I am also unable to verify this here:
# apt policy debootstrap debootstrap: Installed: 1.0.134ubuntu1 Candidate: 1.0.134ubuntu1 Version table: *** 1.0.134ubuntu1 500 500 https://debian.charite.de/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages 500 https://debian.charite.de/ubuntu noble/main i386 Packages 500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages 500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble/main i386 Packages 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status # rm -r /tmp/nobletest/ && sudo debootstrap --variant=minbase noble /tmp/nobletest &> debootstrap.log # grep base-files debootstrap.log I: Retrieving base-files 13ubuntu7 I: Validating base-files 13ubuntu7 I: Extracting base-files... I: Unpacking base-files... I: Configuring base-files... # tail debootstrap.log I: Configuring libtasn1-6:amd64... I: Configuring libstdc++6:amd64... I: Configuring libhogweed6:amd64... I: Configuring libidn2-0:amd64... I: Configuring libapt-pkg6.0:amd64... I: Configuring libp11-kit0:amd64... I: Configuring libgnutls30:amd64... I: Configuring apt... I: Configuring libc-bin... I: Base system installed successfully. Your debootstrap log looks fine, it extracts base-files first. At this point, /tmp/nobletest should be empty. Unless I suppose you use a old broken version of debootstrap that used to create the symlinks before extracting the packages? debootstrap (1.0.130) unstable; urgency=medium [ Helmut Grohne ] * implement merged-/usr by post-merging. Closes: #1049898 -- Luca Boccassi <bl...@debian.org> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:02:59 +0100 ** Changed in: base-files (Ubuntu) Status: New => Incomplete ** Also affects: debootstrap (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Also affects: base-files (Ubuntu Focal) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Also affects: debootstrap (Ubuntu Focal) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Also affects: base-files (Ubuntu Jammy) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Also affects: debootstrap (Ubuntu Jammy) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** No longer affects: base-files (Ubuntu Focal) ** No longer affects: base-files (Ubuntu Jammy) ** Changed in: debootstrap (Ubuntu) Status: New => Fix Released -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2054925 Title: Debootstrap fails for Noble with base-files 13ubuntu7 To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/base-files/+bug/2054925/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs