On Mon, Sep 18, 2023 at 07:56:09PM -0400, Philippe Grégoire wrote:
> As such, I can no longer install or remove packages since my system is 
> partitioned. I'd like to point out that the above link does not specifically 
> mention disk partitioning, but only how files are placed on disk.
> 
> Obviously, re-partitioning the system is something I'd like to avoid at the 
> moment.
> 
> Thinking about it, in the long term, due to the merge and how packagers are 
> expected to be able to address files (e.g. /bin/sh vs /usr/bin/sh), I don't 
> see any other way than re-partitioning. Re-partitioning will be done by a 
> future me.

It is sort-of the point of /usr-merge that /usr can be another partition
instead of having packaged content split over multiple subdirectories
of / which could all be individual partitions, but only really work if
you mount them all anyhow… (yes, /etc, /var and all that jazz. People
have opinions on that, too. Lets focus on the problem we already have
now instead of pilling additional ones on top).


What should be the case is that /usr is a directory and e.g. /bin is
a symlink to /usr/bin. That is what the apt code is trying to check in
a somewhat roundabout way with inode as both /usr and /usr/bin should
point to the same real directory occupying the same inode.


That should be the case even if you have /usr on a different partition.
Are you sure your system is properly merged – as in you haven't unmerged
it with e.g. dpkg-fsys-usrunmess or prevent the merge to be executed
automatically by the installation of usrmerge?

In either case, it is probably better to contact a user support list
to resolve your issue.


> P.S. I'm uncertain why /lib isn't also merged with /usr/lib

It is? The code even checks for /sbin, /bin und /lib – but that isn't
all that /usr-merge entails and APT doesn't really want to be checking
for everything. Just for some easy to verify truths to ensure nothing
went south… like it seems to have happened on your system.


Best regards

David Kalnischkies

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