Can't run "dpkg --add-architecture i386" on 12.04 64-bit to run eclipse ADT

Question

Running ubuntu 12.04 64 bit. I am trying to follow the steps written at the end of this page under the Heading: Installing Android SDK compat libraries. I am doing it in order to solve this problem. But when I run the first command

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

it fails and gives the following output:

pkg: error: unknown option --add-architecture

Type dpkg --help for help about installing and deinstalling packages [*];
Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management;
Type dpkg -Dhelp for a list of dpkg debug flag values;
Type dpkg --force-help for a list of forcing options;
Type dpkg-deb --help for help about manipulating *.deb files;

Options marked [*] produce a lot of output - pipe it through `less' or `more' !

How can I successfully run this command?
Output of dpkg --help:

Usage: dpkg [<option> ...] <command>

Commands:
  -i|--install       <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ...
  --unpack           <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ...
  -A|--record-avail  <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ...
  --configure        <package> ... | -a|--pending
  --triggers-only    <package> ... | -a|--pending
  -r|--remove        <package> ... | -a|--pending
  -P|--purge         <package> ... | -a|--pending
  --get-selections [<pattern> ...] Get list of selections to stdout.
  --set-selections                 Set package selections from stdin.
  --clear-selections               Deselect every non-essential package.
  --update-avail <Packages-file>   Replace available packages info.
  --merge-avail <Packages-file>    Merge with info from file.
  --clear-avail                    Erase existing available info.
  --forget-old-unavail             Forget uninstalled unavailable pkgs.
  -s|--status <package> ...        Display package status details.
  -p|--print-avail <package> ...   Display available version details.
  -L|--listfiles <package> ...     List files `owned' by package(s).
  -l|--list [<pattern> ...]        List packages concisely.
  -S|--search <pattern> ...        Find package(s) owning file(s).
  -C|--audit                       Check for broken package(s).
  --print-architecture             Print dpkg architecture.
  --compare-versions <a> <op> <b>  Compare version numbers - see below.
  --force-help                     Show help on forcing.
  -Dh|--debug=help                 Show help on debugging.

  -h|--help                        Show this help message.
  --version                        Show the version.

Use dpkg -b|--build|-c|--contents|-e|--control|-I|--info|-f|--field|
 -x|--extract|-X|--vextract|--fsys-tarfile  on archives (type dpkg-deb --help).

For internal use: dpkg --assert-support-predepends | --predep-package |
  --assert-working-epoch | --assert-long-filenames | --assert-multi-conrep |
  --assert-multi-arch.

Options:
  --admindir=<directory>     Use <directory> instead of /var/lib/dpkg.
  --root=<directory>         Install on a different root directory.
  --instdir=<directory>      Change installation dir without changing admin dir.
  --path-exclude=<pattern>   Do not install paths which match a shell pattern.
  --path-include=<pattern>   Re-include a pattern after a previous exclusion.
  -O|--selected-only         Skip packages not selected for install/upgrade.
  -E|--skip-same-version     Skip packages whose same version is installed.
  -G|--refuse-downgrade      Skip packages with earlier version than installed.
  -B|--auto-deconfigure      Install even if it would break some other package.
  --[no-]triggers            Skip or force consequential trigger processing.
  --no-debsig                Do not try to verify package signatures.
  --no-act|--dry-run|--simulate
                             Just say what we would do - don't do it.
  -D|--debug=<octal>         Enable debugging (see -Dhelp or --debug=help).
  --status-fd <n>            Send status change updates to file descriptor <n>.
  --log=<filename>           Log status changes and actions to <filename>.
  --ignore-depends=<package>,...
                             Ignore dependencies involving <package>.
  --force-...                Override problems (see --force-help).
  --no-force-...|--refuse-...
                             Stop when problems encountered.
  --abort-after <n>          Abort after encountering <n> errors.

Comparison operators for --compare-versions are:
  lt le eq ne ge gt       (treat empty version as earlier than any version);
  lt-nl le-nl ge-nl gt-nl (treat empty version as later than any version);
  < << <= = >= >> >       (only for compatibility with control file syntax).

Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management.

Output of dpkg --force-help:

    dpkg forcing options - control behaviour when problems found:
  warn but continue:  --force-<thing>,<thing>,...
  stop with error:    --refuse-<thing>,<thing>,... | --no-force-<thing>,...
 Forcing things:
  [!] all                Set all force options
  [*] downgrade          Replace a package with a lower version
      configure-any      Configure any package which may help this one
      hold               Process incidental packages even when on hold
      not-root           Try to (de)install things even when not root
      bad-path           PATH is missing important programs, problems likely
      bad-verify         Install a package even if it fails authenticity check
      bad-version        Process even packages with wrong versions
      overwrite          Overwrite a file from one package with another
      overwrite-diverted Overwrite a diverted file with an undiverted version
  [!] overwrite-dir      Overwrite one package's directory with another's file
  [!] unsafe-io          Do not perform safe I/O operations when unpacking
  [!] confnew            Always use the new config files, don't prompt
  [!] confold            Always use the old config files, don't prompt
  [!] confdef            Use the default option for new config files if one
                         is available, don't prompt. If no default can be found,
                         you will be prompted unless one of the confold or
                         confnew options is also given
  [!] confmiss           Always install missing config files
  [!] confask            Offer to replace config files with no new versions
  [!] architecture       Process even packages with wrong or no architecture
  [!] breaks             Install even if it would break another package
  [!] conflicts          Allow installation of conflicting packages
  [!] depends            Turn all dependency problems into warnings
  [!] depends-version    Turn dependency version problems into warnings
  [!] remove-reinstreq   Remove packages which require installation
  [!] remove-essential   Remove an essential package

WARNING - use of options marked [!] can seriously damage your installation.
Forcing options marked [*] are enabled by default.

Solution 1

make sure the only file present in /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/ is "multiarch"

ls /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/

if output is

multiarch

execute the following commands as it is else replace "multiarch" with the name of file present in that directory.

sudo sh -c "echo 'foreign-architecture i386' > /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/multiarch"

The above command will add i386 architecture.

Solution 2

12.04 is not fully Multiarch.

To get android dev environment up and running:

 sudo apt-get install ia32-libs openjdk-6-jdk:i386

Comments

[SY_13]

doesn't show any output, I don't even get multiarch. What does that mean?