Bug#1068591: systemd-container: doesn't list a default package for default-dbus-system-bus dependency

[Raphaël Halimi]

Package: systemd-container
Version: 249.6-1
Severity: minor

Dear developers,

systemd-container lists "default-dbus-system-bus | dbus-system-bus" as a 
dependency. This is usually correct since APT is smart enough to resolve 
the dependency, but that's not the case with debootstrap.

Since systemd-container is usually needed in systemd-nspawn containers, 
it should be installed at debootstrap time, but currently, running 
debootstrap with "--include=systemd-container" fails because no D-Bus 
implementation is pulled in as dependency. It used to work in versions 
older than 249.6-1 (before the dependency was changed from the real 
"dbus" package to "default-dbus-system-bus | dbus-system-bus" virtual 
packages, so it may qualify as a regression). Using 
"--include=systemd-container,dbus" (or dbus-broker) works.

Could the real dbus package (since it's currently the default D-Bus 
implementation in Debian) be listed as an alternative dependency (and 
ideally, in bookworm too) ?

Note 1: one could think that it's debootstrap's fault for not resolving 
dependencies on virtual packages; indeed, it has already been reported 
several times (#878961, merged with #827602 and #931760; as well as 
Launchpad #86536) unfortunately never fixed yet; but, IMHO, since 
systemd-container is usually needed in systemd-nspawn containers, and 
(except for the host) is usually installed via debootstrap, it makes it 
kind of a special case, in the sense that systemd (as a whole) should 
take care that systemd-nspawn containers can be built and started easily.

Note 2: dbus-broker has the reputation of being better than dbus on 
various points, and could be considered as a clever choice for 
containers, but systemd-container currently lists 
"default-dbus-system-bus" as first alternative, which is provided by "dbus".

Regards,

-- 
Raphaël Halimi