[Bug 783903] Re: man-db cron job returns dpkg-query errors about version strings

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

** Branch linked: lp:debian/man-db

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/783903

Title:
  man-db cron job returns dpkg-query errors about version strings

Status in “man-db” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Committed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: man-db

  I have apt sources where the Version string for packages starts with a
  letter.  As a result I get a daily email from cron on each server
  containing multiple lines that look like:

    dpkg-query: warning: parsing file '/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 179 package 'linux-headers-2.6.27.2':
     error in Version string 'example-20081020-1': version number does not start with digit

  Which is the stderr output of the command "dpkg-query -W -f
  '${Version}' dpkg"

  The naming of the packages is not withing my control, and indeed the
  Debian policy manual suggests that upstream_version strings starting
  with non-digit alphanumerics is valid.

  I would suggest that stderr from dpkg-query be supressed for the query on the cron job 
     "dpkg-query -W -f '${Version}' dpkg 2>/dev/null"

  If you feel this is an error of dpkg-query rather than man-db, please
  reassign to dpkg.

  http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-
  controlfields.html#s-f-Version

  Version: 2.5.9-4

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