opkg thinks it can't find libc, but install with --force-depends works without any problems

[epopp@…]

I put OpenWRT on my linksys E3000 a couple of months ago, and in my spare time I've been turning it into a secure VPN and backup server.

If I try to install a package, opkg fails, complaining that it can't meet the dependency "libc"

root@OpenWRT:~# opkg install tcpdump
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/barrier_breaker/14.07/brcm47xx/generic/packages/base/tcpdump_4.5.1-4_brcm47xx.ipk.
Collected errors:
 * satisfy_dependencies_for: Cannot satisfy the following dependencies for tcpdump:
 * 	libc * 
 * opkg_install_cmd: Cannot install package tcpdump.

If I tell opkg to ignore the error, packages install without any problems:

opkg install tcpdump --force-depends
Installing tcpdump (4.5.1-4) to root...
Downloading http://downloads.openwrt.org/barrier_breaker/14.07/brcm47xx/generic/packages/base/tcpdump_4.5.1-4_brcm47xx.ipk.
Configuring tcpdump.
Collected errors:
 * satisfy_dependencies_for: Cannot satisfy the following dependencies for tcpdump:
 * 	libc * 
root@OpenWRT:~# tcpdump
tcpdump: WARNING: eth0: no IPv4 address assigned
tcpdump: verbose output suppressed, use -v or -vv for full protocol decode
listening on eth0, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), capture size 65535 bytes
01:36:16.493265 IP example.com > 1.2.3.4: UDP, length 124

Thus far, I've ignored the error and installed all the software needed to:

• detect, mount, partition, and format USB flash drives
• create and mount encrypted partitions
• pivot-root to a second, unencrypted partition on flash drive
• install VPN and rsync
• back up all my data to encrypted partition on USB flash drive

uname -a
Linux OpenWRT 3.10.49 #3 Wed Oct 1 14:51:04 CEST 2014 mips GNU/Linux

Some potentially relevant info:
This isn't a completely new install. I reset OpenWRT to defaults while setting up pivot-root. I had tried to pivot-root to an encrypted partition, but it didn't work. I wanted to start over with a clean slate, so I reset to defaults and setup pivot-root to a non-encrypted partition. My data is on an encrypted partition on the same flash drive.

I unlock the encrypted partition before pivoting, and the filesystem is set to auto-mount in /etc/config/fstab. It mounts without any trouble.

[anonymous]

I get this same. I have specified a custom feeds repo to a local server, although not sure if that has triggered something.

[jow]

Sounds to me like your opkg metadata is corrupted. Maybe you forgot to sync the local opkg database when setting up your encrypted partition.