[Bug 877812] Re: dpkg error when upgrading git package "Too many links"

[Raphaël Hertzog]

This is an unfortunate limitation of btrfs. And there's nothing
reasonable that dpkg can do here... but git could be repackaged to avoid
having 106 hardlinks of the same file!

Because this means that during unpack, the number of hardlinks will
raise to 212 (the backup copy of the file being replaced) and apparently
this is enough to trigger the btrfs limit in your case.

** Package changed: dpkg (Ubuntu) => git (Ubuntu)

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/877812

Title:
  dpkg error when upgrading git package "Too many links"

Status in “git” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  upgarding, or downgrading, git between versions 1:1.7.5.4-1  and
  1:1.7.6.3-1 produces the following error:

  Preparing to replace git 1:1.7.5.4-1 (using .../git_1%3a1.7.6.3-1_amd64.deb) ...
  Unpacking replacement git ...
  dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/git_1%3a1.7.6.3-1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
   unable to make backup link of `./usr/lib/git-core/git-mktag' before installing new version: Too many links
  No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                                dpkg-deb: error: subprocess paste was killed by signal (Broken pipe)

  dpkg.strace attached, since i found a similar bug #93320 , though I
  presume it unrelated, unless it's FS corruption again.

  Syste is a very new install-> upgrade from oneiric, using btrfs, ...

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
  Package: dpkg 1.16.1ubuntu1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
  Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Wed Oct 19 01:28:30 2011
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64+mac (20111012)
  ProcEnviron:
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: dpkg
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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