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I installed a package using dpkg --force-depends -i because it requires libidn11 which is no longer provided.

I then created a symlink from libidn.so.11 to libidn.so.12 (auto-installed) and the package now works just fine.

However, I no longer can update the system using apt full-upgrade because I get

You might want to run 'apt --fix-broken install' to correct these.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 icaclient : Depends: libidn11 but it is not installable
...
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt --fix-broken install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

Alas, apt --fix-broken install just removes icaclient which is not an option.

So, is there a way to tell apt to ignore all problems with a specific package and pretend that all its dependencies are met?

sds
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1 Answers1

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I feel like a cheat, but here is what I did and apt upgrade no longer complains:

  1. Open icaclient.deb in Emacs. Get an archive buffer:
M    Mode       Size       Date&time       Filename
- ----------  --------  ----------------  ----------------
  -rw-r--r--         4  2020-04-16 08:18  debian-binary
  -rw-r--r--     53421  1969-12-31 19:00  control.tar.gz
  -rw-r--r--  72952536  2020-04-16 08:20  data.tar.xz
- ----------  --------  ----------------  ----------------
              73005961                     3 files
  1. Open control.tar.gz (hit Enter on it), get a tar buffer:
 drwxr-xr-x    root/root          0 ./
 -rw-r--r--    root/root      54528 ./md5sums
 -rw-r--r--    root/root        921 ./control
 -rwxr-xr-x    root/root        160 ./postrm
 -rwxr-xr-x    root/root        918 ./preinst
 -rw-r--r--    root/root        879 ./conffiles
 -rwxr-xr-x    root/root      70411 ./prerm
 -rwxr-xr-x    root/root      70579 ./postinst

  1. Open control (again, hit Enter on it), edit the text file, replacing libidn11 with libidn12.

  2. Save control (hit C-x C-s).

  3. Save control.tar.gz (switch to it and hit C-x C-s).

  4. As root, apt --fix-broken install and accept removal of icaclient.

  5. As root, dpkg -i icaclient.deb - no warnings, not errors!

  6. As root, cd /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu; ln -s libidn.so.12 libidn.so.11.

I am sure there is a way to do it without Emacs, but I am also quite sure it will be way more keystrokes.

sds
  • 2,543