From: Sven Joachim [mailto:svenj...@gmx.de] > > On 2013-01-24 17:51 +0100, Sven Joachim wrote: > > > On 2013-01-24 16:58 +0100, Kelly Clowers wrote: > > >> On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 6:51 AM, Sven Joachim <svenj...@gmx.de> > > wrote: > > >>> I have crossgraded some packages in i386 chroots that way, but in the > > >>> current state of affairs I would definitely _not_ dare to try a full > > >>> crossgrade on my main system with almost 2000 installed packages. > > >> > > >> I bet it is doable. I wish I had a 32 bit system to try it on, I love doing > > >> crazy things with the package manager, like when I combined > > >> significant parts of Ubuntu (X and GTK) into my Debian install, > > >> and later transitioned back to pure Debian. > > > > Okay, I just tried to do a crossgrade in one of those disposable > > chroots. The good news is that dpkg itself can be crossgraded smoothly > > once the necessary amd64 libraries are installed, the bad news is that > > apt gets thoroughly confused by this action: > > > > ,---- > > | # dpkg --version > > | Debian `dpkg' package management program version 1.16.9 (i386). > > | This is free software; see the GNU General Public License version 2 or > > | later for copying conditions. There is NO warranty. > > | root@turtle:/var/cache/apt/archives# apt-cache show base-files:amd64 > > | Package: base-files > > | Version: 7.1 > > | Essential: yes > > | Installed-Size: 414 > > | Maintainer: Santiago Vila <sanv...@debian.org> > > | Architecture: amd64 > > | Replaces: base, dpkg (<= 1.15.0), miscutils > > | Provides: base > > | Pre-Depends: awk > > | Breaks: initscripts (<< 2.88dsf-13.3), sendfile (<< 2.1b.20080616-5.2~) > > | Description-en: Debian base system miscellaneous files > > | This package contains the basic filesystem hierarchy of a Debian system, > > and > > | several important miscellaneous files, such as /etc/debian_version, > > | /etc/host.conf, /etc/issue, /etc/motd, /etc/profile, and others, > > | and the text of several common licenses in use on Debian systems. > > | Multi-Arch: foreign > > | Description-md5: 6d16337f57b84c4747f56438355b2395 > > | Tag: admin::configuring, role::app-data, suite::debian > > | Section: admin > > | Priority: required > > | Filename: pool/main/b/base-files/base-files_7.1_amd64.deb > > | Size: 71776 > > | MD5sum: dcaeda04f934efba7de05d924f45a850 > > | SHA1: d4c5131596a65dfefa055026ee1c25c2aa95f13e > > | SHA256: > > > 9b89d2a217da3fa2c6366ad44748eaa3613e575e77bbb727a3b02b6a7b80ea7 > > e > > | > > | dpkg -i dpkg_1.16.9_amd64.deb > > | (Reading database ... 9690 files and directories currently installed.) > > | Preparing to replace dpkg 1.16.9 (using dpkg_1.16.9_amd64.deb) ... > > | Unpacking replacement dpkg ... > > | Setting up dpkg (1.16.9) ... > > | # apt-cache show base-files:amd64 > > | N: Unable to locate package base-files > > | E: No packages found > > `---- > > > > This also means that my plan to "aptitude download base-files:amd64" > > followed by "dpkg -i base-files*amd64.deb" does not work, so I'll revert > > to the i386 dpkg in that chroot for now.
Thanks for going to so much trouble for us. You suggest a chroot. What about a *totally* off-line approach? Unpacking files to their proper places by hand, then updating scripts and config files from outside manually (probably using another script prepared specifically for the purpose.) I would not know the first place to start. But I suspect that there is a market for this. I would suggest that Debian create a 32=>64 bit transition kit for jessie, because this is only going to come up more and more often as 32-bit loses ground to 64-bit in usage. A lot of old-timers, plus a fair number of servers that have been in place for years will be asking this same question. I myself for my personal equipment tend to grab the hard drive out of one old machine and stick it into another new one, and thanks to Debian and Linux, it usually works. But although the hardware is capable of 64-bit (and future hardware only moreso) keeping the exact environment without reinstalling from scratch seems impossible. For most things, that's okay, I will do "Just-In-Time installing", not doing it all at once, but only as the situation that needs something specific presents itself. But for this specific application, well, I have it the way I like it, and it's too much work (and too error-prone, at least for yours-truly) to start over. Thanks. I won't give up. I will keep looking. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/007d01cdfa73$540c07b0$fc241710$@allums.com
