Bug#884313: libnetcdf.a file no longer provided by libnetcdf-dev package

[philippe marty]

Package: libnetcdf-dev
Version: 1:4.4.1.1-2  #amd64
Severity: serious  #to grave
Tags: newcomer, stretch
Source: netcdf


When building third party software (namely NOAA's ferret, a.k.a.
ferret-vis on debian package system), it appears the file libnetcdf.a is
missing on the system, despite the libnetcdf11 and libnetcdf-dev
packages being properly installed.

This makes this libnetcdf-dev package almost unusable as is, and also
prevents most other softwares to build against it ... though this is no
security breach, nor system break nor data loss.

The debian package archive website (search form) confirms that this file
is present in libnetcdf-dev package in jessie but no longer in stretch.

When trying to rebuild from source package netcdf, here is the
transcript of interesting lines / warning / errors as root user (yeah I
know ...) on my debian9 desktop :

# uname -a
Linux anzar 4.9.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.9.51-1 (2017-09-28) x86_64
GNU/Linux

# dpkg -l | egrep <useful>
ii  apt            1.4.8        amd64
ii  build-essentia 12.3         amd64
ii  devscripts     2.17.6+deb9u amd64
ii  dpkg           1.18.24      amd64
ii  fakeroot       1.21-3.1     amd64
ii  libc6:amd64    2.24-11+deb9 amd64
...
ii  hdf5-helpers                           1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  hdf5-tools                             1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  libhdf4-0-alt                          4.2.12-3
ii  libhdf4-alt-dev                        4.2.12-3
ii  libhdf5-100:amd64                      1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  libhdf5-cpp-100:amd64                  1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  libhdf5-dev                            1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  libhdf5-serial-dev                     1.10.0-patch1+docs-3
ii  libnetcdf-c++4                         4.2-6
ii  libnetcdf-dev                          1:4.4.1.1-2
ii  libnetcdf11                            1:4.4.1.1-2
ii  libnetcdff-dev                         4.4.4+ds-2
ii  libnetcdff6                            4.4.4+ds-2
ii  nco                                    4.6.3-1+b1
ii  ncview                                 2.1.7+ds-1+b2
ii  netcdf-bin                             1:4.4.1.1-2

# mkdir netcdf
# cd netcdf/
# apt-get source netcdf

W: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file
'netcdf_4.4.1.1-2.dsc' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. -
pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission not granted)

# debuild -b -uc -us

<ugly>
W: sorry I did not copy the exact message, but it said that many
dependancies could have been avoided provided some unused libs were
removed from the linking/compiling commands ...
</ugly>

# find . -name "libnetcdf.a"

<nil>

# find . -iname "*.a"

still nothing ! I suspect there is a wrong extra "clean" sequence as
post-build script which erases all the static files just built !!
<joke>
the next step for debian10 is to also clean the dynamic files ??
</joke>

# CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/lib64/hdf5/serial/include"
LDFLAGS=-L/usr/lib64/hdf5/serial/lib ./configure
--prefix=/usr/local/netcdf4/ --disable-doxygen --enable-netcdf4
--disable-dap-remote-tests --disable-examples --disable-utilities
--disable-testsets

<ok>

# make

<ok>

# find . -name "libnetcdf.a"

./liblib/.libs/libnetcdf.a

MY CURRENT WORKAROUND =
cp -arf ./liblib/.libs/libnetcdf.a /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/

PROPOSED SOLUTION =
please fix the clean sequence after the build to keep the static files
and put them into the -dev package ...

also please fix the unused libs during build/compile to reduce the
package dependancies as much as possible ... (isn't it reported
automatically and systematically for each package just before one distro
release ?)

many thanks in advance

best regards

-- 
Philippe Marty                   | CNRS / UPMC / EPHE / IPSL
Ingénieur Calcul Scientifique    | METIS - UMR 7619
tel:+33 (0)6 87 39 30 04         | Barre 46-56 Bureau 320
fax:+33 (0)1 44 27 45 88         | case 105 - 4, place Jussieu
http://www.metis.upmc.fr/~marty/ | 75252 PARIS cedex 05