dpkg warning about merged-usr-via-aliased-dirs

[dpanter]

Spotted in the DU log today, just a heads up in case you've been blissfully unaware of the usrmerge debate over the last year or so. Your system is NOT broken. Don't panic. However, you can quickly break it by using the tool in the link. So:

DO NOT RUN dpkg-fsys-usrunmess FROM THE LINKED WIKI PAGE

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Setting up dpkg (1.21.2) ...
dpkg: warning: System unsupported due to merged-usr-via-aliased-dirs.
dpkg: warning: See <https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/Dpkg/FAQ#broken-usrmerge>.
Again, DO NOT RUN dpkg-fsys-usrunmess FROM THE LINKED WIKI PAGE

I mean it's obvious right, but just to be clear, don't do it.
If you want to waste a lot of time, google 'Debian usrmerge' or this tool name.

[dibl]

Thanks for the warning -- I never heard of it.

[michaa7]

I had this warning, too, some days ago. I was about to use this above mentioned tool, but i felt insecure. After googling a bit I really didn't know whether or not to use it. But then I decided to only use it if some whose opinion I trust would recommend it.

As I had this warning only once I think I will live with it for now.

[Pip]

You could have save me a lot of pain. Thanks for that.

[devil]

To give a little background information: dpkg maintainer Guillem Jover is responsible for this warning message, as can be seen in the changelog, where he writes:

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- Update bug-script to clarify usrmerge systems are unsupported. Jover is denying support for usr-merge since over a year now against a clear Debian decision [1].

Usr-merge is officialy standard since Debian 10 »Buster« and will be mandatory with Debian 12 »Bookworm« [2]. Debian is one of the last distributions to make the change. I wrote a lengthy article on the usr-merge, the history and reasoning behind it 2 years ago for LinuxUser magazine. It is in German, but translators should give you the gist of it [3].

[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=994388#132
[2] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=%23978636#178
[3] https://www.linux-community.de/ausgaben/linuxuser/2019/08/zusammengefasst/

[michaa7]

Thanks for clarifying this.


Edit:
Out of sheer curiosity:
I do not understand this part of your linked article:

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Seit 2015 ist der FHS mit der Linux Standard Base (LSB) unter dem Dach der Linux Foundation vereint. Distributionen, die den Usrmerge umsetzen, sind damit nicht mehr LSB-konform.
"... die den Usrmerge umsetzen" oder "... die den Usrmerge nicht umsetzen"?

If it is like you wrote, then all major Linux distributions did Usrmerge with the outcome of NOT being LSB-compliant anymore?

[devil]

When it comes to the part that deals with the FHS, yes, they are not compliant anymore.