[pkg-fso-maint] Bug#520842: dhcp-client: should conflict with virtual package dhcp-client

[Luca Capello]

Package: dhcp-client
Version: 3.1.1-6
Severity: important
User: pkg-fso-maint at lists.alioth.debian.org
Usertags: package-installation

Hi there!

While analyzing how to solve bug #520014 [1] for Debian on the Openmoko
FreeRunner, I found that, as expected, dhcpcd, pump and udhcpc provide
dhcp-client.  However, apt-get seems to not take that into account since
a real dhcp-client package exists:
=====
debian-gta02:~# dpkg -s udhcpc | grep Provides
Provides: dhcp-client

debian-gta02:~# dpkg -s udhcpc | grep Status
Status: install ok installed

debian-gta02:~# apt-get install dhcp-client
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  dhcp3-client dhcp3-common
Suggested packages:
  resolvconf avahi-autoipd
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  dhcp-client dhcp3-client dhcp3-common
0 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 543kB of archives.
After this operation, 1155kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n
Abort.

debian-gta02:~#
=====

However, apt-get behaves correctly if I try to install another package
which provides the "virtual" dhcp-client package:
=====
debian-gta02:~#apt-get install dhcpcd
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  udhcpc
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  dhcpcd
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 48.1kB of archives.
After this operation, 69.6kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n
Abort.
debian-gta02:~#
=====

In this respect, reportbug is correct as well, since it recognizes that
dhcp-client can be both a virtual and real package:
=====
Using 'Luca Capello <luca at debian-gta02>' as your from address.
Getting status for dhcp-client...
No matching source or binary packages.
Which of the following installed packages is the bug in?

1 udhcpc       very small DHCP client

2 dhcp-client  Uninstalled/non-existent package

Select one of these packages:
=====

I am not sure how to solve this bug, hence the misleading title.

Thx, bye,
Gismo / Luca

Footnotes: 
[1] http://bugs.debian.org/520014

-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: armel (armv4tl)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.29-20090303.gitb9de904e (PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
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