[Bug 1001189] Re: 'man' command fails with lseek error opening cross-architecture index.db file (on network share)

[Clint Byrum]

Hello Paul, or anyone else affected,

Accepted man-db into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be
available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/man-db/2.6.1-2ubuntu1
in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package.  See
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to
enable and use -proposed.  Your feedback will aid us getting this update
out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug,
mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag
from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the
bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to
verification-failed.  In either case, details of your testing will help
us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification .  Thank you in
advance!

** Changed in: man-db (Ubuntu Precise)
       Status: In Progress => Fix Committed

** Tags added: verification-needed

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to gdbm in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1001189

Title:
  'man' command fails with lseek error opening cross-architecture
  index.db file (on network share)

Status in “gdbm” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in “man-db” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in “man-db” source package in Precise:
  Fix Committed

Bug description:
  [Impact] Sharing a directory containing manual page databases between 32-bit and 64-bit systems can cause man to crash.
  [Test Case] Configure a local manual page hierarchy (in ~/.manpath or otherwise), containing a single page.  Run mandb over it from a 64-bit environment.  Request that page using man from a 32-bit environment.
  [Regression Potential] This code has been in 12.10 and Debian for quite a while, so I think it's pretty safe.  If it fails, it'll be fairly obvious from routine use of man and mandb.

  Original report follows:

  When trying to look up the on-line documentation using the 'man'
  command it fails on 12.04 with lseek error. For example:

  $ man resolvconf
  gdbm fatal: lseek error

  This lseek error applies to other requests as well (e.g. ls, fdisk,
  etc). System information is:

  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
  Release:	12.04

  apt-cache policy man
  man:
    Installed: (none)
    Candidate: (none)
    Version table:

  However, it is installed since it runs as a command, and I find:

  $ which man
  /usr/bin/man

  $ man --version
  man 2.6.1

  What I expect is to read the manual page appropriate to the
  command/program, and not get a software error.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gdbm/+bug/1001189/+subscriptions