I'm trying to convert .rpm to .deb using alien.

sudo alien -k libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm

Alien says that:

libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.deb generated

But when I check the folder - there is just original .rpm and no .deb. Also - I can see that for a split second there is a .deb file in a folder. so it looks like alien create .deb and deletes it right away.

I suspect that it's maybe because I run 64 bit os and package is 32?

Can somebody explain why alien deletes .deb automatically?

Verbose output:

LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{NAME} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{VERSION} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{RELEASE} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{ARCH} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{CHANGELOGTEXT} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{SUMMARY} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{DESCRIPTION} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREFIXES} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{POSTIN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{POSTUN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREUN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{LICENSE} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREIN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qcp libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
rpm -qpi libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
LANG=C rpm -qpl libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
mkdir libtetra-1.0.0
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0
rpm2cpio libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm | lzma -t -q > /dev/null 2>&1
rpm2cpio libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm | (cd libtetra-1.0.0;  cpio --extract --make-directories --no-absolute-filenames --preserve-modification-time) 2>&1
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./usr
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./usr/lib
chown 0:0 libtetra-1.0.0//usr/lib/libtetra.so.1.0.0
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0//usr/lib/libtetra.so.1.0.0
mkdir libtetra-1.0.0/debian
date -R
date -R
chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/debian/rules
debian/rules binary 2>&1
libtetra_1.0.0-3_i386.deb generated
find libtetra-1.0.0 -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
rm -rf libtetra-1.0.0

Very Verbose output

    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{NAME} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
libtetra
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{VERSION} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
1.0.0
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{RELEASE} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
2
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{ARCH} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
i386
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{CHANGELOGTEXT} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
- First RPM Package
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{SUMMARY} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
Panasonic KX-MC6000 series Printer Driver for Linux.
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{DESCRIPTION} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
This software is Panasonic KX-MC6000 series Printer Driver for Linux.
You can print from applications by using CUPS(Common Unix Printing System)
which is the printing system for Linux.
Other functions for KX-MC6000 series are not supported by this software.
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREFIXES} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
(none)
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{POSTIN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
(none)
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{POSTUN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
(none)
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREUN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
(none)
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{LICENSE} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
GPL and LGPL (Version2)
    LANG=C rpm -qp --queryformat %{PREIN} libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
(none)
    LANG=C rpm -qcp libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
    rpm -qpi libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
Name        : libtetra                     Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version     : 1.0.0                             Vendor: Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd.
Release     : 2                             Build Date: Tue 27 Apr 2010 05:16:40 AM EDT
Install Date: (not installed)               Build Host: localhost.localdomain
Group       : System Environment/Daemons    Source RPM: libtetra-1.0.0-2.src.rpm
Size        : 31808                            License: GPL and LGPL (Version2)
Signature   : (none)
URL         : http://panasonic.net/pcc/support/fax/world.htm
Summary     : Panasonic KX-MC6000 series Printer Driver for Linux.
Description :
This software is Panasonic KX-MC6000 series Printer Driver for Linux.
You can print from applications by using CUPS(Common Unix Printing System)
which is the printing system for Linux.
Other functions for KX-MC6000 series are not supported by this software.

    LANG=C rpm -qpl libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm
/usr/lib/libtetra.so
/usr/lib/libtetra.so.1.0.0
    mkdir libtetra-1.0.0
    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0
    rpm2cpio libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm | lzma -t -q > /dev/null 2>&1
    rpm2cpio libtetra-1.0.0-2.i386.rpm | (cd libtetra-1.0.0;  cpio --extract --make-directories --no-absolute-filenames --preserve-modification-time) 2>&1
63 blocks
    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./
    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./usr
    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/./usr/lib
    chown 0:0 libtetra-1.0.0//usr/lib/libtetra.so.1.0.0
    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0//usr/lib/libtetra.so.1.0.0
    mkdir libtetra-1.0.0/debian
    date -R
Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:03:58 -0500

    date -R
Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:03:58 -0500

    chmod 755 libtetra-1.0.0/debian/rules
    debian/rules binary 2>&1
dh_testdir
dh_testdir
dh_testroot
dh_clean -k -d
dh_clean: No packages to build.
dh_installdirs
dh_installdocs
dh_installchangelogs
find . -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -not -name debian -print0 | \
        xargs -0 -r -i cp -a {} debian/
dh_compress
dh_makeshlibs
dh_installdeb
dh_shlibdeps
dh_gencontrol
dh_md5sums
dh_builddeb

libtetra_1.0.0-2_i386.deb generated
    find libtetra-1.0.0 -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
    rm -rf libtetra-1.0.0

Resolution

Oh well. It looks like it's perhaps a bug? or I don't know. I simply installed 32-bit version of Ubuntu in VirtualBox and converted package there. For some reason I couldn't convert 32-bit package in 64 OS. and that is that.

If someone ever finds the reason ffor this behavior - plz. post somewhere in comments.

Thanks