Public bug reported: I use dh_installman to install man pages in a debian package. This fails on bionic, but succeeds in artful.
In bionic (version man-db 2.8.3-2) dh_installman --verbose install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_clean_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_create_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_delete_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_grab_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_start_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1.dh-new man: can't open ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1: Toegang geweigerd dh_installman: man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1.dh-new returned exit code 2 dh_installman: Aborting due to earlier error man -l <relative filename> always fails, also when executed manually. I can "cat" the indicated manfile without any problem. I also executed the man -l command in strace and found this: 19540 lstat("/usr/local/share/man", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0 19540 stat("./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1", 0x7fff5d390630) = -1 EACCES (Permission denied) The same command with --debug option: man -l --recode UTF-8 --debug ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 ruid=1000, euid=1000 rgid=1000, egid=1000 ++priv_drop_count = 1 >From the config file /etc/manpath.config: Mandatory mandir `/usr/man'. Mandatory mandir `/usr/share/man'. Mandatory mandir `/usr/local/share/man'. Path `/bin' mapped to mandir `/usr/share/man'. Path `/usr/bin' mapped to mandir `/usr/share/man'. Path `/sbin' mapped to mandir `/usr/share/man'. Path `/usr/sbin' mapped to mandir `/usr/share/man'. Path `/usr/local/bin' mapped to mandir `/usr/local/man'. Path `/usr/local/bin' mapped to mandir `/usr/local/share/man'. Path `/usr/local/sbin' mapped to mandir `/usr/local/man'. Path `/usr/local/sbin' mapped to mandir `/usr/local/share/man'. Path `/usr/X11R6/bin' mapped to mandir `/usr/X11R6/man'. Path `/usr/bin/X11' mapped to mandir `/usr/X11R6/man'. Path `/usr/games' mapped to mandir `/usr/share/man'. Path `/opt/bin' mapped to mandir `/opt/man'. Path `/opt/sbin' mapped to mandir `/opt/man'. Global mandir `/usr/man', catdir `/var/cache/man/fsstnd'. Global mandir `/usr/share/man', catdir `/var/cache/man'. Global mandir `/usr/local/man', catdir `/var/cache/man/oldlocal'. Global mandir `/usr/local/share/man', catdir `/var/cache/man/local'. Global mandir `/usr/X11R6/man', catdir `/var/cache/man/X11R6'. Global mandir `/opt/man', catdir `/var/cache/man/opt'. Added section `1'. Added section `n'. Added section `l'. Added section `8'. Added section `3'. Added section `2'. Added section `3posix'. Added section `3pm'. Added section `3perl'. Added section `3am'. Added section `5'. Added section `4'. Added section `9'. Added section `6'. Added section `7'. `/usr/man' `' `1' `/usr/share/man' `' `1' `/usr/local/share/man' `' `1' `/bin' `/usr/share/man' `0' `/usr/bin' `/usr/share/man' `0' `/sbin' `/usr/share/man' `0' `/usr/sbin' `/usr/share/man' `0' `/usr/local/bin' `/usr/local/man' `0' `/usr/local/bin' `/usr/local/share/man' `0' `/usr/local/sbin' `/usr/local/man' `0' `/usr/local/sbin' `/usr/local/share/man' `0' `/usr/X11R6/bin' `/usr/X11R6/man' `0' `/usr/bin/X11' `/usr/X11R6/man' `0' `/usr/games' `/usr/share/man' `0' `/opt/bin' `/opt/man' `0' `/opt/sbin' `/opt/man' `0' `/usr/man' `/var/cache/man/fsstnd' `-1' `/usr/share/man' `/var/cache/man' `-1' `/usr/local/man' `/var/cache/man/oldlocal' `-1' `/usr/local/share/man' `/var/cache/man/local' `-1' `/usr/X11R6/man' `/var/cache/man/X11R6' `-1' `/opt/man' `/var/cache/man/opt' `-1' `1' `' `-5' `n' `' `-5' `l' `' `-5' `8' `' `-5' `3' `' `-5' `2' `' `-5' `3posix' `' `-5' `3pm' `' `-5' `3perl' `' `-5' `3am' `' `-5' `5' `' `-5' `4' `' `-5' `9' `' `-5' `6' `' `-5' `7' `' `-5' is a tty real user = 1000; effective user = 1000 using pager as pager path directory /usr/local/sbin is in the config file adding /usr/local/man to manpath adding /usr/local/share/man to manpath path directory /usr/local/bin is in the config file /usr/local/man is already in the manpath /usr/local/share/man is already in the manpath path directory /usr/sbin is in the config file adding /usr/share/man to manpath path directory /usr/bin is in the config file /usr/share/man is already in the manpath path directory /sbin is in the config file /usr/share/man is already in the manpath path directory /bin is in the config file /usr/share/man is already in the manpath path directory /usr/games is in the config file /usr/share/man is already in the manpath path directory /usr/local/games is not in the config file but does have a ../man, man, ../share/man, or share/man subdirectory /usr/local/man is already in the manpath path directory /snap/bin is not in the config file and doesn't have ../man, man, ../share/man, or share/man subdirectories adding mandatory man directories waarschuwing: /usr/man: Bestand of map bestaat niet /usr/share/man is already in the manpath /usr/local/share/man is already in the manpath add_nls_manpaths(): processing /usr/local/man:/usr/local/share/man:/usr/share/man checking for locale nl_BE.UTF-8 manpath search path (with duplicates) = /usr/share/man/nl:/usr/local/man:/usr/local/share/man:/usr/share/man adding /usr/share/man/nl to manpathlist adding /usr/local/man to manpathlist adding /usr/local/share/man to manpathlist adding /usr/share/man to manpathlist Removing duplicate manpath entry /usr/local/share/man (2) -> /usr/local/man (1) final search path = /usr/share/man/nl:/usr/local/man:/usr/share/man ++priv_drop_count = 2 man: ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1: Toegang geweigerd frank@panter:/mnt/packet/linux/bionic/source/fden-usenet/fden-usenet-3.2$ In artful (version man-db 2.7.6.1-2): dh_installman --verbose install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_clean_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_create_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_delete_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_grab_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1 install -p -m0644 ./debian/fden_start_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1.dh-new mv debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1.dh-new debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1.dh-new mv debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1.dh-new debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1.dh-new mv debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1.dh-new debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1.dh-new mv debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1.dh-new debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1 man -l --recode UTF-8 ./debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1 > debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1.dh-new mv debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1.dh-new debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1 chmod 0644 -- debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_start_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_create_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_delete_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_clean_nzb.1 debian/fden-usenet/usr/share/man/man1/fden_grab_nzb.1 My release: lsb_release -rd Description: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Release: 18.04 ** Affects: man-db (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1773223 Title: man -l local-file fails with Access Denied To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/man-db/+bug/1773223/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs