Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10

jkeenan1 has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

On an Ubuntu box I previously used Perl 5.8.8, compiled from source with no special options. Recently I upgraded to Perl 5.10.0, again compiled from source with no special options. Since that upgrade most of the problems I have encountered have related to modules with XS code. What follows may be similar.

I was prompted by Synaptic Package Manager to upgrade the CUPS printing system today. Two of the three packages upgraded successfully but 'cupsys-client' failed. Here's the output I got when I tried a second time via apt-get:

[~] 512 $ sudo apt-get install cupsys-client
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
cupsys-client is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up cupsys (1.2.2-0ubuntu0.6.06.6) ...
Can't load '/usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux//auto/Unic
+ode/String/String.so' for module Unicode::String: /usr/local/lib/perl
+5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux//auto/Unicode/String/String.so: undefine
+d symbol: PL_dowarn at /usr/lib/perl/5.8/DynaLoader.pm line 225.
 at /usr/sbin/install-docs line 25
Compilation failed in require at /usr/sbin/install-docs line 25.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/sbin/install-docs line 25.
dpkg: error processing cupsys (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 cupsys
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
[download]

Result: I currently am unable to print any documents.

Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Jim Keenan

Comment on Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 Download Code

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Re: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by Corion (Patriarch) on Jan 14, 2008 at 16:17 UTC
Recently I upgraded to Perl 5.10.0 Do never, ever upgrade or change the Perl in `/usr/bin`. It belongs to your system and is sacred to your system. Always install your own compiled Perls somewhere else. I guess a possible fix is to force/trick Ubuntu into (re)installing its own system Perl over your hodgepodge of Perl versions.	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by jkeenan1 (Deacon) on Jan 14, 2008 at 18:13 UTC
This put a bandaid on the problem and enabled me to get CUPS working again. `$ sudo env -u PERL5LIB apt-get install cupsys-client Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done cupsys-client is already the newest version. 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. 1 not fully installed or removed. Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used. Setting up cupsys (1.2.2-0ubuntu0.6.06.6) ... * Starting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd + [ ok ]` [download] Jim Keenan	[reply] [d/l]
Re^2: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by jkeenan1 (Deacon) on Jan 14, 2008 at 16:49 UTC
Corion wrote: Do never, ever upgrade or change the Perl in /usr/bin. It belongs to your system and is sacred to your system. Always install your own compiled Perls somewhere else. Not guilty. Both of my compiled perls were installed in /usr/local/bin/. However, I realize now that my upgrade to 5.8.8 was superfluous in the sense that the system perl at the time of that upgrade already was 5.8.8. Here are the respective perl -Vs. $ /usr/bin/perl -V Summary of my perl5 (revision 5 version 8 subversion 8) configuration: Platform: osname=linux, osvers=2.6.15.7, archname=i486-linux-gnu-thread-mult +i uname='linux rothera 2.6.15.7 #1 smp tue jun 27 18:34:43 utc 2006 +i686 gnulinux ' config_args='-Dusethreads -Duselargefiles -Dccflags=-DDEBIAN -Dccc +dlflags=-fPIC -Darchname=i486-linux-gnu -Dprefix=/usr -Dprivlib=/usr/ +share/perl/5.8 -Darchlib=/usr/lib/perl/5.8 -Dvendorprefix=/usr -Dvend +orlib=/usr/share/perl5 -Dvendorarch=/usr/lib/perl5 -Dsiteprefix=/usr/ +local -Dsitelib=/usr/local/share/perl/5.8.8 -Dsitearch=/usr/local/lib +/perl/5.8.8 -Dman1dir=/usr/share/man/man1 -Dman3dir=/usr/share/man/ma +n3 -Dsiteman1dir=/usr/local/man/man1 -Dsiteman3dir=/usr/local/man/man +3 -Dman1ext=1 -Dman3ext=3perl -Dpager=/usr/bin/sensible-pager -Uafs - +Ud_csh -Uusesfio -Uusenm -Duseshrplib -Dlibperl=libperl.so.5.8.8 -Dd_ +dosuid -des' hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define usethreads=define use5005threads=undef useithreads=define usemulti +plicity=define useperlio=define d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=define +usesocks=undef use64bitint=undef use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef usemymalloc=n, bincompat5005=undef Compiler: cc='cc', ccflags ='-D_REENTRANT -D_GNU_SOURCE -DTHREADS_HAVE_PIDS +-DDEBIAN -fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -I/usr/local/include -D_LARGEFILE +_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64', optimize='-O2', cppflags='-D_REENTRANT -D_GNU_SOURCE -DTHREADS_HAVE_PIDS -DDEBIAN +-fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -I/usr/local/include' ccversion='', gccversion='4.1.2 20060613 (prerelease) (Ubuntu 4.1. +1-2ubuntu5)', gccosandvers='' intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=1234 d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=1 +2 ivtype='long', ivsize=4, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, Off_t='off_t', + lseeksize=8 alignbytes=4, prototype=define Linker and Libraries: ld='cc', ldflags =' -L/usr/local/lib' libpth=/usr/local/lib /lib /usr/lib libs=-lgdbm -lgdbm_compat -ldb -ldl -lm -lpthread -lc -lcrypt perllibs=-ldl -lm -lpthread -lc -lcrypt libc=/lib/libc-2.4.so, so=so, useshrplib=true, libperl=libperl.so. +5.8.8 gnulibc_version='2.4' Dynamic Linking: dlsrc=dl_dlopen.xs, dlext=so, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags='-Wl,-E' cccdlflags='-fPIC', lddlflags='-shared -L/usr/local/lib' Characteristics of this binary (from libperl): Compile-time options: MULTIPLICITY PERL_IMPLICIT_CONTEXT PERL_MALLOC_WRAP THREADS_HAVE_PIDS USE_ITHREAD +S USE_LARGE_FILES USE_PERLIO USE_REENTRANT_API Built under linux Compiled at Jul 7 2006 18:08:25 %ENV: PERL5LIB="/home/jimk/lib/perl:/usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8 +/i686-linux/" @INC: /home/jimk/lib/perl /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux/ /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/perl/5.8.8 /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.8 /usr/lib/perl5 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/perl/5.8 /usr/share/perl/5.8 /usr/local/lib/site_perl . [download] $ /usr/local/bin/perl5.8.8 -V Summary of my perl5 (revision 5 version 8 subversion 8) configuration: Platform: osname=linux, osvers=2.6.12-9-386, archname=i686-linux uname='linux ubuntu 2.6.12-9-386 #1 mon oct 10 13:14:36 bst 2005 i +686 gnulinux ' config_args='-de -Dprefix=/usr/local -Doptimize=-O3 + -march=i686 -mtune=pentium4 -pipe' hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=define usethreads=undef use5005threads=undef useithreads=undef usemultipl +icity=undef useperlio=define d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=define usesocks=undef use64bitint=undef use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef usemymalloc=n, bincompat5005=undef Compiler: cc='cc', ccflags ='-fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -Wdeclaration-after- +statement -I/usr/local/include -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BIT +S=64', optimize='-O3 -march=i686 -mtune=pentium4 -pipe', cppflags='-fno-strict-aliasing -pipe -Wdeclaration-after-statement + -I/usr/local/include' ccversion='', gccversion='4.0.2 20050808 (prerelease) (Ubuntu 4.0. +1-4ubuntu9)', gccosandvers='' intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=1234 d_longlong=define, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=1 +2 ivtype='long', ivsize=4, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, Off_t='off_t', + lseeksize=8 alignbytes=4, prototype=define Linker and Libraries: ld='cc', ldflags =' -L/usr/local/lib' libpth=/usr/local/lib /lib /usr/lib libs=-lnsl -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc perllibs=-lnsl -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc libc=/lib/libc-2.3.5.so, so=so, useshrplib=false, libperl=libperl. +a gnulibc_version='2.3.5' Dynamic Linking: dlsrc=dl_dlopen.xs, dlext=so, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags='-Wl,-E' cccdlflags='-fpic', lddlflags='-shared -L/usr/local/lib' Characteristics of this binary (from libperl): Compile-time options: PERL_MALLOC_WRAP USE_LARGE_FILES USE_PERLIO Built under linux Compiled at Sep 13 2006 16:24:23 %ENV: PERL5LIB="/home/jimk/lib/perl:/usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8 +/i686-linux/" @INC: /home/jimk/lib/perl /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux/ /usr/local/lib/perl5/5.8.8/i686-linux /usr/local/lib/perl5/5.8.8 /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8 /usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl . [download] Could that be the source of the problem? Jim Keenan	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^3: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by moritz (Cardinal) on Jan 14, 2008 at 18:06 UTC
`PERL5LIB="/home/jimk/lib/perl:/usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux/"` Try the following: `PERL5LIB="" apt-get install $whatever` Things like left over environment variables are a good reason for a separate root account (that some distributions don't provide anymore).	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^4: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by jkeenan1 (Deacon) on Jan 14, 2008 at 18:16 UTC
Re^2: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by jkeenan1 (Deacon) on Jan 14, 2008 at 17:49 UTC
One further twist: Synaptic describes perl 5.8.8-6 as the installed version and the latest version for packages perl, perl-base and perl-modules -- but also does not described them as "supported packages." Jim Keenan	[reply]
Re: Ubuntu cups package upgrade problem after upgrading to Perl 5.10 by jkeenan1 (Deacon) on Jan 16, 2008 at 15:00 UTC
The ultimate source of the problem was that when I was building 5.10, I called `Configure` -- as I have always done -- with `-de` to accept all defaults and skip all prompts. Well, there's one prompt for the directory for architecture-specific libraries whose default value was: `/usr/local/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.8.8/i686-linux/` [download] ... which was the directory that Synaptic and apt-get were complaining about. So the fix was to: (a) clear out all `PERL5LIB` settings from by .bashrc file, log out and back in; (b) rebuild Perl 5.10, starting with Configure and responding to prompts manually -- including one at which I said do not use a previously used Perl 5 configuration settings file. The end result was a purer Perl 5.10. Today Synaptic prompted me to upgrade the cupsys server program. This failed the first time through (which was before I had reinstalled 5.10) for the same reason as cupsys-client did the other day. But after the reconfiguration and rebuild, apt-get was apparently satisfied, because cupsys upgraded without a hitch. Jim Keenan	[reply] [d/l] [select]