[Debian-med-packaging] Bug#806084: ncbi-tools6: FTBFS when built with dpkg-buildpackage -A (No such file or directory)

[Santiago Vila]

Package: src:ncbi-tools6
Version: 6.1.20120620-8
User: sanvila at debian.org
Usertags: binary-indep
Severity: important

Dear maintainer:

I tried to build this package with "dpkg-buildpackage -A"
(i.e. only architecture-independent packages), and it failed:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
 fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep
dh binary-indep
   dh_testroot -i
   dh_prep -i
   debian/rules override_dh_auto_install
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
install -d debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
install -m 644 lib/* shlib/*.so.6.1.20120620 debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
for x in ncbiacc ncbiCacc netentr; do \
    rm -f debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so.6.1.20120620 && \
    ln -s libncbiNacc.so.6 \
        debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so.6 && \
    ln -s libncbiNacc.so debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so; \
done
for x in ncbicn3d vibrant; do \
    rm -f debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so.6.1.20120620 && \
    ln -s lib${x}OGL.so.6 \
        debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so.6 && \
    ln -s lib${x}OGL.so debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib$x.so; \
done
rm -f debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libregexp.*
cd debian/tmp/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu && \

[... snipped ...]

make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
   debian/rules override_dh_installdocs
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
dh_installdocs
install -m 644 config/README \
    debian/libncbi6/usr/share/doc/libncbi6/README.config
install: cannot create regular file 'debian/libncbi6/usr/share/doc/libncbi6/README.config': No such file or directory
debian/rules:215: recipe for target 'override_dh_installdocs' failed
make[1]: *** [override_dh_installdocs] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
debian/rules:82: recipe for target 'binary-indep' failed
make: *** [binary-indep] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep gave error exit status 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry not to have a fix, as I am reporting many bugs similar to
this one, but I can give some general hints:

* If all the arch-independent packages are dummy transitional packages
released with jessie, the easy fix is to drop them now.
 
* If not, debian/rules should be modified so that the binary-indep
target works in all cases, even when binary-arch is not used (this is
what the "Architecture: all" autobuilder does). For that:
    
* If you are using debhelper, you might want to use options -a and -i
for dh_* commands so that they do not act on packages they do not
have to act.

* Also, if you are using dh, the (independently) optional targets
override_dh_foo-arch and override_dh_foo-indep (for several values
of "foo") may be useful to write a debian/rules which behaves exactly
as desired.


After checking that both "dpkg-buildpackage -A" and "dpkg-buildpackage -B"
work properly, this package will be suitable to be uploaded in
source-only form if you wish (you might want to try it).

Thanks.