Your message dated Sat, 11 Jul 2026 20:49:28 +0100
with message-id <alKeSO50qd9wFD6J@???>
and subject line Re: bug#970: base-files: upgrade to base-files 14.2devuan1 fails
has caused the Devuan bug report #970,
regarding base-files: upgrade to base-files 14.2devuan1 fails
to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

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--
970: https://bugs.devuan.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=970
Devuan Bug Tracking System
Contact owner@??? with problems
Subject: base-files: upgrade to base-files 14.2devuan1 fails
Package: base-files
Version: 14.0devuan1
Severity: grave
Justification: renders package unusable

Dear Maintainer,

Devuan: ceres
Upgrading from: 14.0devuan1
Upgrading to: 14.2devuan1
upgrading with: aptitude

result:

Preparing to unpack …/base-files_14.2devuan1_amd64.deb…


******************************************************************************
*
* The base-files package cannot be installed because
* /lib32 is a dangling symbolic link.
*
* This is an unexpected situation. Cannot proceed with the upgrade.
*
* For more information please read https://wiki.debian.org/UsrMerge.
*
******************************************************************************


dpkg: error processing archive
/var/cache/apt/archives/base-files_14.2devuan1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
new base-files package preinst maintainer script subprocess failed
with exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/base-files_14.2devuan1_amd64.deb
needrestart is being skipped since dpkg has failed
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Press Return to continue, 'q' followed by Return to quit.

ie this shouldn't be some kind of ancient-devuan to ceres 'skipping
release' upgrade,
it's just another ceres-to-ceres routine upgrade(?). usrmerge is installed.

$ apt-cache policy usrmerge
usrmerge:
Installed: 39+nmu2
Candidate: 39+nmu2

I'm not sure when base-files was last updated(?).

-- System Information:
Distributor ID:    Devuan
Description:    Devuan GNU/Linux 7 (freia/ceres)
Release:    7
Codename:    freia ceres
Architecture: x86_64

Kernel: Linux 7.0.7+deb14-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_CPU_OUT_OF_SPEC
Locale: LANG=en_CA.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_CA.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8),
LANGUAGE=en_CA:en
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: sysvinit (via /sbin/init)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages base-files depends on:
ii gawk [awk] 1:5.3.2-1
ii mawk [awk] 1.3.4.20260302-1

base-files recommends no packages.

base-files suggests no packages.

-- no debconf information
On Sat, Jul 11, 2026 at 01:44:07PM -0600, Jeffrey Cliff wrote:
> * The base-files package cannot be installed because
> * /libx32 is a dangling symbolic link.
>
> and moving *that* out of the way allowed base-files to be installed!

OK, this is clearly a well travelled system! With lots of resulting cruft. It
would be worth removing as much as you can to get something cleaner and closer
to a new/recent install.

I think we should just close this as resolved for you. There is a Debian bug
relating to the /libx32 dangling symlink[1], but it isn't really something we
can resolve in a general way.

If you are not happy with that, feel free to reopen and say what you would
prefer.

Thanks

Mark


[1] https://bugs.debian.org/1105811