Packages that use the update-alternatives.bbclass -- or -- use update alternatives themselves are not properly setting RPROVIDES or file level provide data. This is causing a dependency on /usr/bin/env to not be satisfied, which coreutils provides /usr/bin/env via the update alternatives methods. buybox's "package_do_filedeps_append" may be a reasonable model for implementing this in the updates-alternatives.bbclass. We also should grep for discrete usages of update-alternatives in post install scripts and fix those recipes as well.
Basic investigation time: Only RPM packaging backends currently look at file based dependencies. Inside of the package_rpm.bbclass, it is already adding ALTERNATIVE_LINK and ALTERNATIVE_LINKS to the package provides. This should enable anything using the class to work properly. Only packages that manage alternatives without the help of the class should be failing. (Post 1.2, we should do this differently, so when we roll up the file level dependencies it'll work for all packaging back ends)
Grepping the meta directory I find the following items likely have a dependency problem: openssh hdparm iputils grep net-tools shadow findutils gzip module-init-tools coreutils psplash kdb console-tools sysvinit lrzsz
FYI -- the following packages are broken in some way with the update-alternatives: coreutils grep openssh hdparm iputils net-tools (has a potentially dead symlink to hostname) shadow findutils gzip module-init-tools kbd console-tools sysvinit lrzsz cpio dropbear ncurses binutils psmisc psplash sysklogd tar util-linux
Update alternatives work is partially done. Estimate includes additional testing and remaining work.
Refactoring of the update-alternatives system checked into OE-core: 309117d26de6a87b16406a44a0cefcbaaf7b5d7a