I'm unable to get dpkg to do anything useful with this package.  I can't
upgrade to the supposedly fixed version, and now aptitude refuses to do
anything else without either removing or upgrading libjson-pp-perl.

  vauxhall no % sudo dpkg -P libjson-pp-perl
  (Reading database ... 511466 files and directories currently installed.)
  Removing libjson-pp-perl (2.27300-1) ...
  No diversion 'diversion of /usr/bin/json_pp to /usr/bin/json_pp.bundled by libjson-pp-perl', none removed.
  Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
  dpkg-divert: error: rename involves overwriting `/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz' with
    different file `/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz', not allowed
  dpkg: error processing package libjson-pp-perl (--purge):
   subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 2
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   libjson-pp-perl
  vauxhall no % sudo dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb
  Selecting previously unselected package libjson-pp-perl.
  (Reading database ... 511471 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to unpack .../libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb ...
  Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
  dpkg-divert: error: rename involves overwriting `/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz' with
    different file `/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz', not allowed
  dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb (--install):
   subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   /var/cache/apt/archives/libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb

Control: notfound -1 2.27300-1
Control: found -1 2.27300-2

Hrm.
Something is broken here indeed; I'm just wondering how you got into
this situation; my aptitude log shows on Mon, Oct 20 2014:

[UPGRADE] libjson-pp-perl:amd64 2.27300-1 -> 2.27300-2

and this went obviously fine.


And I've never seen dpkg-divert saying "rename involves overwriting
.. with different file .., not allowed".


Let's try:

# dpkg -l libjson-pp-perl
..
ii  libjson-pp-perl      2.27300-2       all             module for manipulating JSON-formatted data (P

# aptitude purge libjson-pp-perl
[needs a downgrade of cpanminus. ok.]
Removing libjson-pp-perl (2.27300-2) ...
Removing 'diversion of /usr/bin/json_pp to /usr/bin/json_pp.bundled by libjson-pp-perl'
Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
Purging configuration files for libjson-pp-perl (2.27300-2) ...
..

# aptitude install libjson-pp-perl=2.27300-1
..
Preparing to unpack .../libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-1_all.deb ...
Adding 'diversion of /usr/bin/json_pp to /usr/bin/json_pp.bundled by libjson-pp-perl'
Adding 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
Unpacking libjson-pp-perl (2.27300-1) ...
..

# aptitude install libjson-pp-perl=2.27300-2
..
Preparing to unpack .../libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb ...
Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
Leaving 'diversion of /usr/bin/json_pp to /usr/bin/json_pp.bundled by libjson-pp-perl'
Adding 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
Unpacking libjson-pp-perl (2.27300-2) over (2.27300-1) ...
..


All as expected.


Anyone around with any idea?


Cheers,
gregor

I've attached the relevant portions of my dpkg.log in the hopes that
might provide some useful information.

Thank you.

So this starts with 2.27203-1 ...

... and installs 2.27300-1. "status installed" sounds good.

Same days later ...

... 2.27300-1 is installed again (hu?). Again "status installed".
Good.

20 minutes later it gets installed again (hu?), but now it it ends up
half-installed ...


For comparison, that's how it looks like for me:

% grep json-pp ~log/dpkg.log
2014-10-10 13:39:45 upgrade libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1 2.27300-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27203-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-10 13:39:45 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-10 13:40:05 configure libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1 <none>
2014-10-10 13:40:05 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-10 13:40:05 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-10 13:40:05 status installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1

2014-10-20 18:42:57 upgrade libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 configure libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2 <none>
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2


Some things I don't understand in your log:
- the missing "upgrade" and "configure" lines
- that 2.27300-1 (tries to) get(s) installed 3 times


Cheers,
gregor, still confused

Sorry about that.  I used awk to select the appropriate lines, and in
some cases the package is in a differently-numbered field.  I've
attached one that contains the upgrade and configure lines this time.

I used aptitude, so I'm not sure why that happened.  I think aptitude
tries to reinstall the package if it fails the first time.

Thanks, now it gets more interesting :)

Ok, upgrade 2.27203-1 -> 2.27300-1 succeeds.

12 days later:

Upgrade 2.27300-1 -> 2.27300-2 attempted but ...

// compared with my log:
2014-10-20 18:42:57 upgrade libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status half-installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-1
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:42:57 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 configure libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2 <none>
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status unpacked libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status half-configured libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
2014-10-20 18:43:10 status installed libjson-pp-perl:all 2.27300-2
//

... 2.27300-2 never gets unpacked.
That's probably where the dpkg-divert dance fails.


I still have no clue what fails here, and if the cause is in the
package or some local glitch, but hopefully we now have enough
information so that someone sees more than me.


Cheers,
gregor

Hello

To get a similar error message while upgrading libjson-pp-perl, I had to
create a bogus /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz before upgrading
libjson-pp-perl to version 2.27300-2:

# echo foobar > /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz
$ sudo aptitude install libjson-pp-perl/testing
[ ok ]
$ sudo aptitude install libjson-pp-perl
The following packages will be upgraded:
  libjson-pp-perl
1 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 712 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/51.8 kB of archives. After unpacking 1,024 B will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?]
Reading changelogs... Done
(Reading database ... 365498 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb ...
Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to
/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
Leaving 'diversion of /usr/bin/json_pp to /usr/bin/json_pp.bundled by libjson-
pp-perl'
Adding 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz to
/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz by libjson-pp-perl'
dpkg-divert: error: rename involves overwriting
`/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz' with
  different file `/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz', not allowed
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/libjson-pp-
perl_2.27300-2_all.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libjson-pp-perl_2.27300-2_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Failed to perform requested operation on package.  Trying to recover:



I suspect that the error on your system comes from a similar cause.

Could you:
- purge libjson-pp-perl
- remove any existing /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.bundled.1.gz file
  (do *not* remove /usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz )
- install libjson-pp-perl


Hope this helps

Not without removing the diversion first.  The original bug report
demonstrates that I can't remove the package.  Whether
/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.bundled.gz exists or not doesn't affect
that.  (It did not exist originally.)

I managed to fix it by doing "dpkg-divert --remove
/usr/share/man/man1/json_pp.1.gz", which allowed the package to be
removed.  Whatever the underlying issue was should probably still be
fixed, although this allows me to get aptitude working again.

We can't reproduce this issue, so we can't really fix it and this issue cannot
be considered as grave. So, I've reduced it's severity to "normal".

Feel free to ping us if you find a way to reproduce this issue.

All the best