Mavericks buildslave: Image error: /opt/local/bin/a2p-5.16 already exists and does not belong to a registered port

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

The Mavericks buildslave is failing many builds with this error:

Error: org.macports.activate for port perl5.16 returned: Image error: /opt/local/bin/a2p-5.16 already exists and does not belong to a registered port.  Unable to activate port perl5.16. Use 'port -f activate perl5.16' to force the activation.

This file is part of the perl5.16 port but the Mavericks buildslave recently appears to have crashed during the activation of the perl5.16 port—apparently after some files were extracted but before it was recorded where they came from:

​https://build.macports.org/builders/buildports-mavericks-x86_64/builds/5893/steps/compile/logs/progress

I think the solution is for an admin to log into the Mavericks buildslave, forcibly activate perl5.16:

sudo port -f activate perl5.16

(this will be needed to overwrite the unregistered files already there), followed by deactivating any ports that may be active:

sudo port deactivate active

Then builds should work as normal again hopefully.

[dbevans (David B. Evans)]

Cc Me!

[dbevans (David B. Evans)]

Fixed?

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Yes, we had an offline email exchange in which we resolved it. The above steps worked, with the exception that Shree had to specify which variant of perl5.16 to activate (both the universal and non-universal ones were installed).