string matching for dpkg I/O errors in dpkgpm.cc is out of date

[Brian Murray]

The following error strings are no longer returned by dpkg:

   io_errors.push_back(string("failed to read on buffer copy for %s"));
   io_errors.push_back(string("failed in write on buffer copy for %s"));
   io_errors.push_back(string("short read on buffer copy for %s"));

Subsequently, apport package installation failures are being created for these types of crashes and they should not be. Additionally, there is a new error returned by dpkg ("unexpected end of file or stream" as seen in bug 1361489) which should also be blocked.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Reviewing the strings returned by lib/dpkg/buffer.c the following patch should resolve the issue, although this is still not ideal.

 $ bzr cdiff
=== modified file 'apt-pkg/deb/dpkgpm.cc'
--- apt-pkg/deb/dpkgpm.cc 2014-06-10 19:00:00 +0000
+++ apt-pkg/deb/dpkgpm.cc 2014-08-29 20:41:09 +0000
@@ -1668,9 +1668,10 @@
    // do not report dpkg I/O errors, this is a format string, so we compare
    // the prefix and the suffix of the error with the dpkg error message
    vector<string> io_errors;
- io_errors.push_back(string("failed to read on buffer copy for %s"));
- io_errors.push_back(string("failed in write on buffer copy for %s"));
- io_errors.push_back(string("short read on buffer copy for %s"));
+ io_errors.push_back(string("failed to read"));
+ io_errors.push_back(string("failed to write"));
+ io_errors.push_back(string("failed to seek"));
+ io_errors.push_back(string("unexpected end of file or stream"));

    for (vector<string>::iterator I = io_errors.begin(); I != io_errors.end(); ++I)

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

I've looked around Launchpad for package failures with the string "failed to (read|write|seek)" and haven't found any, I've only found errors regarding "unexpected end of file or stream". The other apport package failures not showing up may be due to bug 1353171 though.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package apt - 1.0.4ubuntu8

---------------
apt (1.0.4ubuntu8) utopic; urgency=medium

  * apt-pkg/deb/dpkgpm.cc:
    - update string matching for dpkg I/O errors. (LP: #1363257)
    - properly parse the dpkg status line so that package name is properly set
      and an apport report is created. Thanks to Anders Kaseorg for the patch.
      (LP: #1353171)
 -- Brian Murray <email address hidden> Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:15:17 -0700

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Hello Brian, or anyone else affected,

Accepted apt into trusty-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/1.0.1ubuntu2.6 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for apt has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package apt - 1.0.1ubuntu2.6

---------------
apt (1.0.1ubuntu2.6) trusty-proposed; urgency=medium

  * apt-pkg/deb/dpkgpm.cc:
    - update string matching for dpkg I/O errors. (LP: #1363257)
    - properly parse the dpkg status line so that package name is properly set
      and an apport report is created. Thanks to Anders Kaseorg for the patch.
      (LP: #1353171)
 -- Brian Murray <email address hidden> Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:01:41 -0700