Bug#543376: grub-pc: Conflicts between versions of Grub2

[Stefan Monnier]

Package: grub-pc
Version: 1.96+20090808-1
Severity: normal

Aptitude just failed to install grub-pc because of a conflict:

   Removing grub-efi-amd64 ...
   Processing triggers for man-db ...
   Selecting previously deselected package grub-pc.
   (Reading database ... 271556 files and directories currently installed.)
   Unpacking grub-pc (from .../grub-pc_1.96+20090808-1_i386.deb) ...
   Processing triggers for man-db ...
   Setting up grub-pc (1.96+20090808-1) ...
   ucfr: Attempt from package grub-pc  to take /etc/default/grub away from package grub-efi-amd64
   ucfr: Aborting.
   dpkg: error processing grub-pc (--configure):
    subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 4
   Errors were encountered while processing:
    grub-pc
   E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
   A package failed to install.  Trying to recover:
   Setting up grub-pc (1.96+20090808-1) ...
   ucfr: Attempt from package grub-pc  to take /etc/default/grub away from package grub-efi-amd64
   ucfr: Aborting.
   dpkg: error processing grub-pc (--configure):
    subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 4
   Errors were encountered while processing:
    grub-pc

On some machines, booting can be done with via grub-efi and via grub-pc.
BTW, I really wish that the different Grubs were not marked as conflicting.
After all, when we upgrade from Grub1 to Grub2, the normal Debian procedure
leaves you with Grub1 active while its corresponding package is uninstalled,
which is rather odd.
A better option would be to let users install both `grub-pc' and
`grub-legacy' at the same time.  AFAICT, the only realy conflict is in
update-grub and install-grub, but they're fairly easy to resolve:
update-grub should run both update-grub1 and update-grub2, while the
second should choose either of the two based on availability (and/or
based on some argument).

Of course, the same holds for grub-efi (I often use an install of Debian
on a USB stick, which I use both on PCs and on Macs, whereas PCs boot via
grub-pc whereas Macs need grub-efi): I need to have both grub-pc and
grub-efi installed at the same time.


        Stefan


-- Package-specific info:

*********************** BEGIN /proc/mounts
/dev/mapper/Pastel-root / ext3 rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/mapper/Pastel-home /home ext3 rw,nodev,relatime,errors=continue,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/mapper/Pastel-dvd /dvd ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,errors=continue,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/mapper/Pastel-music /music ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,errors=continue,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/sda1 /boot ext3 rw,relatime,errors=continue,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/sdf2 /mnt hfsplus rw,relatime,umask=22,uid=0,gid=0,nls=utf8 0 0
*********************** END /proc/mounts

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/device.map
(hd0)	/dev/sda
(hd1)   /dev/sdb
*********************** END /boot/grub/device.map

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/grub.cfg
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by /usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
set default=0
set timeout=5
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=cyan/blue
set menu_color_highlight=white/blue
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.30-1-686-bigmem" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.30-1-686-bigmem root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro  quiet
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.30-1-686-bigmem
}
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.30-1-686-bigmem (recovery mode)" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.30-1-686-bigmem root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro single 
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.30-1-686-bigmem
}
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.30-1-amd64" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.30-1-amd64 root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro  quiet
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.30-1-amd64
}
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.30-1-amd64 (recovery mode)" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.30-1-amd64 root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro single 
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.30-1-amd64
}
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.26-2-686-bigmem" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-686-bigmem root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro  quiet
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-686-bigmem
}
menuentry "Debian GNU/Linux, Linux 2.6.26-2-686-bigmem (recovery mode)" {
	set root=(hd0,1)
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 5193d701-1197-44b1-b783-5137c2a99c37
	linux	/vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-686-bigmem root=/dev/mapper/Pastel-root ro single 
	initrd	/initrd.img-2.6.26-2-686-bigmem
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86 ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86)" {
	linux	/memtest86.bin
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86 ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file is an example on how to add custom entries
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
*********************** END /boot/grub/grub.cfg

-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.30-1-686-bigmem (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_CH.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_CH.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages grub-pc depends on:
ii  debconf [debconf-2.0]    1.5.27          Debian configuration management sy
ii  grub-common              1.96+20090808-1 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 
ii  libc6                    2.9-23          GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  ucf                      3.0018          Update Configuration File: preserv

grub-pc recommends no packages.

Versions of packages grub-pc suggests:
ii  desktop-base                  5.0.5      common files for the Debian Deskto
ii  genisoimage                   9:1.1.9-1  Creates ISO-9660 CD-ROM filesystem

-- debconf information:
* grub-pc/chainload_from_menu.lst: true
  grub-pc/postrm_purge_boot_grub: false
  grub-pc/install_devices:
  grub-pc/linux_cmdline: vga=0x307