LucidLpiaMigrationHowTo
(Lucid LPIA Migration HOWTO)
In November 2009, Steve Kowalik announced that the Ubuntu Mobile Team will drop support of the LPIA architecture in Lucid Lynx. The Lucid Lynx Release Notes state that "systems that were installed as lpia will need to be backed up and reinstalled from scratch using either the i386 or amd64 architectures." However, an alternative, unsupported approach is outlined below.
Warning
While the steps outlined below are straightforward, they modify essential parts of a stable Ubuntu system. A full backup before proceeding is the best way to ensure that, in case of difficulty, the original system can be restored, or the i386 version of Lucid can be installed and the backup files copied. Additionally, there is no guarantee that these steps are sufficient for all systems with various configurations. However, these steps are reversible for most configurations.
Addition Of i386 Repositories
Since lpia repositories are distinct from the main repositories, the migration to i386 repositories involves a switch. Open Synaptic by choosing the entry from the Administration submenu under the System main menu, or by running a command such as gksu synaptic in a terminal. Select Repositories under the Settings menu and change the Download from http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports combobox to Main Server. Then, check that the line deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main universe multiverse restricted has been added to the /etc/apt/sources.list file. If the line is not present, add it by editing the file with an editor started with a command such as sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list in a terminal. To ensure that the new repositories are used, add the line APT::Architecture "i386"; to a file such as /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01architecture file by editing the file with an editor started with a command such as sudo gedit /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01architecture in a terminal. To revert these changes, simply restore the combobox setting or remove the line from the /etc/apt/sources.list file, and remove the line from the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01architecture file.
Installation Of i386 Dpkg
The first step is to install the i386 version of dpkg closest to the lpia version currently on the system. For example, if the current lpia dpkg package is from the Karmic Koala release, then install the i386 dpkg package from Karmic Koala by downloading it from http://packages.ubuntu.com/karmic/i386/dpkg/download and choosing to open it with Gdebi Package Installer. Alternatively, if Gdebi complains that the i386 package is the wrong architecture, and assuming the file is saved on the desktop, install the package by typing sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture Desktop/dpkg_1.15.4ubuntu2.1_i386.deb into a terminal, changing the dpkg filename as necessary. If this installation succeeds, then proceed to the next step. Otherwise, revert the change by downloading and installing the correct lpia dpkg package from the list of dpkg packages at http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/d/dpkg/, such as http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/d/dpkg/dpkg_1.15.4ubuntu2.1_lpia.deb.
Modify Dpkg Database
Even assuming a full backup of the system exists, prepare for this step by making a copy of /var/lib/dpkg/status, such as with the command cp /var/lib/dpkg/status ~ to copy the file to your home folder. Then, open the database file with your favorite editor with a command such as sudo gedit /var/lib/dpkg/status and replace all instances of the phrase Architecture: lpia with a phrase such as Package-Architecture: lpia and all instances of the phrase Architecture: i386 with a phrase such as Package-Architecture: i386 to remove the architecture designation from all binary packages. Save this file and test the changes by opening up a package manager such as Synaptic by choosing the entry from the Administration submenu under the System main menu or by entering a command such as gksu synaptic in a terminal. All the system packages should show up, without any new warnings about broken packages, or the removal of the architecture designations from /var/lib/dpkg/status was incorrect or incomplete. To revert the changes, restore the copy of /var/lib/dpkg/status with a command such as sudo cp -f ~/status /var/lib/dpkg/status and also revert any changes from the earlier steps.
Migration
The steps on this page detail how to change the system architecture in the package manager from two largely equivalent system architectures, such as i386 and lpia. These steps do not apply directly to migrations from system architectures that are compatible but not equivalent, such as i386 and amd64. Furthermore, these steps do not transition the system from lpia to i386 by themselves. Rather, packages can be upgraded and distributions can be upgraded in the normal fashion after completion of these steps. As the transition from lpia to i386 in Ubuntu is occurring once and occurring soon, please add any appropriate changes to this wiki page promply to assist others with the transition.