[Pkg-zfsonlinux-devel] Bug#909183: zfs-dkms: 'dkms mkdeb -m zfs' requires dh_testdir, should recommend debhelper

[Mykola Nikishov]

Package: zfs-dkms
Version: 0.7.9-3
Severity: important

While there is a clear error message that package 'debhelper' is not
installed, it would be better to inform user about such requirement
beforehand:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
$ sudo dkms mkdeb -m zfs -v 0.7.9 -k 4.17.0-3-amd64 
dpkg-query: package 'debhelper' is not installed and no information is available
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.
Using /etc/dkms/template-dkms-mkdeb
copying template...
modifying debian/changelog...
modifying debian/compat...
modifying debian/control...
modifying debian/copyright...
modifying debian/dirs...
modifying debian/postinst...
modifying debian/prerm...
modifying debian/README.Debian...
modifying debian/rules...
copying legacy postinstall template...
Copying source tree...
Gathering binaries...Marking modules for 4.17.0-3-amd64 (x86_64) for archiving...

Creating tarball structure to specifically accomodate binaries.

Tarball location: /var/lib/dkms/zfs/0.7.9/tarball/zfs-0.7.9.dkms.tar.gz


DKMS: mktarball completed.

Copying DKMS tarball into DKMS tree...
Building binary package...dpkg-buildpackage: warning: using a gain-root-command while being root
 dpkg-source --before-build zfs-dkms-0.7.9
 fakeroot debian/rules clean
make: dh_testdir: Command not found
make: *** [clean] Error 127
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules clean subprocess returned exit status 2
(bad exit status: 2)
Error! There was a problem creating your deb.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---


-- System Information:
Debian Release: buster/sid
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (900, 'stable'), (190, 'testing'), (180, 'unstable'), (170, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.17.0-3-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages zfs-dkms depends on:
ii  debconf [debconf-2.0]  1.5.69
ii  dkms                   2.6.1-1
ii  lsb-release            9.20170808
ii  spl-dkms               0.7.9-3

Versions of packages zfs-dkms recommends:
ii  linux-libc-dev  4.18.6-1
ii  zfs-zed         0.7.9-3
ii  zfsutils-linux  0.7.9-3

zfs-dkms suggests no packages.

-- debconf information:
  zfs-dkms/stop-build-for-32bit-kernel: true
* zfs-dkms/note-incompatible-licenses:
  zfs-dkms/stop-build-for-unknown-kernel: true